Shutter Island

Before I even set foot into the theatre to watch this one, I was worried. There had been a slew of bad reviews given to me by friends as well as a noted push back in release date from the creators of this film, which is never a good sign. However, in the opening credits, all of my concern was simply pushed away and I was engulfed in this interesting and suspenseful drama.

The film centers around Teddy Daniels, played by Leonardo Di Caprio, and his partner Chuck (Mark Ruffalo), two U.S. Marshal's investigating the disappearance of murderess Rachel Solondo on Shutter Island, a fortress-like mental institution of the coasts of Massachusetts. From the moment they step onto the island, you know they are in trouble. Doctors are giving him medication, patients are telling him to run including one who has a massive breakdown in his arms. He spends the entire movie trying to figure out where the patient has gone, while trying to keep his sanity. Or so he thinks.

Martin Scorsese has interwoven with such wonder, two different stories and keeps the audience guessing throughout the film with the final unveiling of the truth incredibly shocking and disturbing. He casts an overall shadow from the moment this film begins and almost seems to be trying to integrate film noir of the 1950's with modern day technology. Granted, he is a director that has given us many exciting and different movies that don't always follow the expected blockbuster splendor, and this one comes off as less than perfect. Individual moments are wonderful, powerhouse cameos by Patricia Clarkson, and Michelle Williams, who plays Daniels' wife in flashbacks and dreams.

The movie itself never really takes off and left me wondering why a mental hospital would need a US marshall to come and find an escaped prisoner instead of letting the police or guards take over and find them. I spent an even bigger time wondering why or how everything tied together, instead of wondering where the escaped patient was. I'm not entirely sure that Scorsese himself knew which was meant to be the focus. the movie jumps around from location to location with choppy transition and little explanation that when it's all finally wrapped up in the end, very few questions are left, but the outcome is still a little bit underwhelming.

Di Caprio delivers a fantastic performance that just adds to his body of work and each time he takes the screen, we see an actor show is growing with every performance. However this one, I feel that he didn't get to truly develop all aspects of his character due to the director. Everyone in the film talks about his violent streak and yet we never see it. Perhaps we only see glimpses of it by choice as to keep us guessing all the way up to the end. But, Di Caprio brings to life all of the nuances of a man deeply grieving and balancing on the brink of insanity.

Thought the individual pieces of this movie are phenomenal, the overall sum doesn't really add up. The entire movie feels like something is missing. Yes, all of the answers pan out. Yes, the acting was incredible. Yes the direction had a point and a purpose. But, still something seemed to be lacking. Could it be that Scorsese might be losing steam? Or is he trying to hard to deliver something out of his normal approach and give in to the expectations of hollywood? I don't know, but Shutter Island didn't disappoint, but it didn't deliver either.