SYNOPSIS:
When U.S. marshal Teddy Daniels arrives at the asylum
for the criminally insane on Shutter Island, what starts as
a routine investigation quickly takes a sinister turn. As
the investigation unfolds and Teddy uncovers more shocking
and terrifying truths about the island, he learns there are
some places that never let yuou go.
MOVIE REVIEW:
When a prestigious and established filmmaker
such as Martin Scorsese decides to attempt his version of
a film noir with a mix of pulp and B-movie, you know you are
in for a treat.
Based
on a novel by Dennis Lehane (author of Mystic River and Gone
Baby Gone), "Shutter Island" opens with U.S. Marshall
Teddy Daniels (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his new partner Chuck
Aule (Mark Ruffalo) on a rocky ferry ride to Shutter Island
to investigate the disappearance of a patient from Ashecliff
Hospital, a place for the criminally insane that is. The patient
by the name of Rachel Salando who is accused of murdering
her three young children has mysteriously vanished into thin
air. Remember it’s an island, her room is sealed and
there are more than enough guards hanging around.
Within thirty minutes of screentime, Scorsese
has established a sense of looming danger, creepy suspense
and tones of head-scratching details. The ominous music which
is culled from a variety of classical pieces instead of the
usual practice of hiring a regular composer is perfect for
the atmospheric cinematography. Not to mention, the outstanding
production values which add to the authenticity of the 1950’s
setting.
To
viewers accustomed to the usual fast-paced, slasher horror
flicks will find it a chore to sit through "Shutter Island"
for sure. It’s helmed by Martin Scorsese mind you. This
is an adult, psychological thriller and everyone here looks
like the perfect suspect. Is Dr. John Cawley (Ben Kingsley),
the bald head psychiatrist the one? How about Dr. Jeremiah
Naehring (Max von Sydow)? He looks suspicious enough appearing
out of nowhere in particular. What’s wrong with our
marshall, Teddy Daniels? Is he delusional or is he being drugged
by the doctors? Questions liked this swirled around your head
as the movie progresses and you know it’s beneficial
for you since Mr Scorsese is doing a good job channeling his
inner Alfred Hitchcock.
However,
"Shutter Island" starts to lose its momentum after
the hour long mark and to be frank, rather long for comfort.
Despite some clever writing and a compelling performance by
DiCaprio, Scorsese starts to resort to some cheap jump scares
in the middle and the endless conspiracies start to pile up
faster as more and more characters appear onscreen. Especially
when you are Martin Scorsese, you can easily summon the whole
town to appear in your movie. Many of you would have spotted
familiar faces such as Jackie Earle Haley (The Nightmare of
Elm Street 2010), Patricia Clarkson (Elegy), Emily Mortimer
(Lars And The Real Girl) and Michelle Williams (Brokeback
Mountain) in a tragically shot beautiful cameo. Yet it’s
Leonardo DiCaprio that once again proved he is no longer the
pretty boy that went down with the sinking ship. The versatile
babyface actor portrayed a man with a complex past and pain
that no amount of post-production work or the numerous supporting
cast can take away his captivating performance from the audience.
Like
M. Night Shyamalam’s "The Sixth Sense", it
might take repeated viewings to truly understand the revelation
of "Shutter Island". The constant flashbacks, dream
sequences and uninviting pacing might frustrate some viewers.
Consider this as a high-end popcorn thriller and you may find
the end results pretty rewarding.
SPECIAL FEATURES :
NIL
AUDIO/VISUAL:
The
DVD transfer never fails to deliver the goods despite the
tremendous amount of black and low-light presented in the
movie. The Dolby Digital 5.1 amazed with its crisp dialogue
and ambient sound effects such as Gun shots, rain, wind, gushing
waves etc.
MOVIE RATING :
 
DVD
RATING :
Review
by Linus Tee
Posted
on 12 August 2010 |
