Shutter Island is a film based on the novel by Dennis Lehane, and brought to the screen by none other than Martin Scorsese. To me, this was an unbeatable combination. I love Dennis Lehane (Mystic River; Gone, Baby, Gone); his novels are fast, suspenseful, and well written. I love Martin Scorsese; his movies are, well, you already know, right? His recent pairings with Leonardo Dicaprio have been a pleasure. They team up again in Shutter Island, a two hour plus film that takes you inside madness and tries to leave you there.
Teddy Daniels is a U.S. Marshall that has been called to Shutter Island, a mental hospital for the criminally insane, to investigate the disappearance of a female patient, Rachel Solando. Teddy and his new partner, Chuck (Mark Ruffalo), arrive on the ferry and begin their investigation immediately. It becomes clear in no time that Teddy is affected by his surroundings. The investigation and close proximity to doctors, patients, padded cells, and intimidating brick edifices quickly get to him. Add in a giant hurricane strength storm, and Teddy is laid up with a migraine and out of commission for the night. He begins to ponder his own troubles, his own past, with images of his wife (who died in an apartment fire) and images from his time in the war, freeing victims of Dachau.
I wish I could say that this movie was as stimulating as the book was. I enjoyed watching it, even knowing how it all turns out, and I think Scorsese did a fantastic job creating an atmosphere and a tone. But I have to admit, the movie was 30 minutes too long. It definitely bogged down in the middle, and I wonder if the movie would have benefited from trimming some of Teddy’s back-story. Nevertheless, the film definitely brings the creepy and the payoff in the end is pretty swell. I would wait for DVD so you can watch from the comfort of your couch.
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“that takes you inside madness and tries to leave you there.”
I love how you write.
If Inglourious Basterds is what you get when a moviemaker gets his movie geek on, Shutter Island is what you get when a master filmmaker gets his movie geek on.
This movie was just so-so for me, too. I haven’t read a single Dennis Lehane novel (I know, shame on me!) but I sure do love most of the adapted screenplays I’ve seen. What the heck happened here?
I wish I could talk about the end … but I don’t want to spoilt it for anyone who hasn’t seen it. Dang it …
Have you seen Inception? Blew me away.
How about Eat Pray Love? Not so much, but better than I expected, I guess.
Gigi! This movie was kind of clunky. Lehane’s novel flowed much more smoothly and I urge you to read it for sure. Scorsese could have cut 90% of the Nazi flashbacks and this movie would have been much more powerful. Leonardo DiCaprio though, he’s one we can’t take our eyes off of nowadays.
Oh! Gigi! We’re recording a special edition podcast just on Inception, which was amazing. I’ll post my written review the same day we post the podcast. I’m trying to figure out how to keep it to three paragraphs.