Shutter Island (2010) review - Movie Thoughts (Chapter 44) 🌀

Hello everyone,

Today's film is a form of semi-retraction to something I've written and published previously. A couple of weeks ago I was writing about directors who weren't for me, and I name dropped Martin Scorsese because his 2016 film Silence disappointed me to the point of an 1100 word rant/thesis. Then I stumbled across another one of his films starring Leonardo DiCaprio and thought I would give him one last shot to disappoint me. But I was completely shocked by how much I loved this film, and I think I might have to retract my previous statement and refine: Scorsese is just OK. Not completely for me, but OK. He has the intrigue of this one to thank for my slight change of heart....

(**disclaimer: the following thoughts are 100% my opinion, you do not have to agree with them - film is inherently subjective and everyone's perspective is valid! Also, there are probably spoilers in the following, read at your own risk. Now onto some thoughts....**)

Source: IMDB

A smart and brilliant thriller added another hit to the long line of successes director Martin Scorsese has dreamt up. Embodying an emotional intensity that doesn’t drop for the majority of its two hours and eighteen minute running time, there were layers to the experience that left audiences constantly searching for the truth. In 1954, US Marshal Teddy Daniels (Leonardo DiCaprio) is sent to a mysterious island to investigate the disappearance of a murderer who escaped from a high security facility for the criminally insane. A seemingly simple premise, the narrative grew into itself through never quite being what it seems, and the pay-off was a surprisingly emotionally devastating film that seamlessly transitioned deeper and deeper into a dark melancholy that never telegraphed its twists and turns.

Everything was balanced really well with a tonal intricacy that allowed audiences to be immersed in the mystery and tension of the case. It was setup so that you understand the initial facades that are presented early and the unbelievable realities underneath once all the puzzle pieces were laid out. Successfully tense and constantly uneasy, audiences are always made to feel two steps behind with the fear of another surprise or horror around every corner. This was established marvelouslly by the first arrival onto the island and the reveal of the facilities’ dangerous inhabitants. Security was on edge and the phrase ‘you sound like insanity’s catching’ reinforced that sense of suspicion and the underlying desire to find out why everyone was so jumpy. Geographically, the setting itself also heightened the unease. One ferry on and off the island, a colossal storm that created loud thunder and lightning and knocked out communications within and off the island; there was an overwhelming feeling of both the characters and the audience not being able to get away. They were isolated, cut off and suddenly the events had an unsettling degree of intimacy in staying within the confines of the island. The clever device of elevating the stormy weather also elevated the dread and turmoil of the stakes.

Unease was molded into the fibre of this concept in a really engaging manner. Unable to ascertain who was actually telling the truth, there were unreliable characters all over the place. Inmates like Rachel (Emily Mortimer) were dealing with delusions and conditions that made their testimonies questionable in the context of establishing facts, but DiCaprio’s Teddy also had baggage that was skillfully explored as well. Tormented by PTSD from his involvement in the liberation of a concentration camp during World War II and the death of his beloved wife Dolores (Michelle Williams), it was abundantly clear early that there was trauma clouding Teddy’s mind. Those sequences and inflections throughout were really well done with colour and graphic artistry. Flecks of ash, smoke, fire and oversaturated colour produced a violently melancholy full of pathos, and these odd prophetic dreams morphed to also depict graphic and bloody iterations of women and children and Teddy’s wracked with guilt for not being able to save them. These clues were interesting and at times confronting; almost creating a mystery within a mystery that was then skillfully tied together.

An original and curious concept based on a novel written by Dennis Lehane, this film was constructed with a slick and self-assured hand. Robbie Robertson crafted a terrifically fascinating collection of music that echoed the tone really well. The thumping bass chords were particularly ominous and altogether quite cohesive despite being patchworked together and not an original score specifically for the film.

Evoking the eerie atmosphere of the setting through layered filmmaking, Scorsese’s direction was dynamically great. Measured and paced with enough restraint to allow the narrative’s twists and turns to unravel naturally, it had merit because it clawed at the audience’s attention and did not let them go until the final scene. One of Scorsese’s best decisions was the casting of Leonardo DiCaprio in the lead role, as his embodied emotionally rapturous performance carried the film at times alongside a fantastic screenplay from Laeta Kalogridis. Not only was the dialogue lively, but proved to be a visceral exploration of grief, trauma, loss, heartbreak, memory, death, sorrow and insanity. The mausoleum exposition dump was a particularly arresting and well-written sequence that shifted the intrigue into overdrive.

Surrounding DiCaprio’s solemn and gripping performance was a solid supporting cast that had depth and shades of mystery. Mark Ruffalo’s Chuck Aule was consistent and somewhat secretive without overstating his presence. Other characters like Ben Kingsley’s Dr Cawley and Williams’ striking performance as the wife carried a careful balance of characterisation that always camouflaged their true purpose until a jarring reveal.

A gripping mystery thriller that surprisingly went beyond a typical scaffold to deliver a powerful emotional sucker punch. An ode to the stories we tell ourselves as a way of processing trauma and grief, there were plenty of ‘everything is not what it seemed’, but there was nothing clique about what went down on Shutter Island.

8/10, 4 STARS

Thanks for reading,

Love and isolated stormy islands, Emily 🌀