“Shutter Island†finally made its theater debut this past weekend after being pushed back several times. The movie stars Leonardo DiCaprio as Teddy Daniels a U.S. Marshall who gets called to a remote island off the coast of Massachusetts, to investigate the disappearance of a murderous woman who has vanished from the island’s mental facility. He and his partner, Chuck Aule (Mark Ruffalo) are quite surprised when they find that the island is basically a prison for the criminally insane, and there is only one way on or off the island, and that is by ferry. The island is run by Dr. Cawley (Ben Kingsley), and he has it so well guarded that it would be quite impossible for anyone to escape.
Now first off, I don’t know why Martin Scorsese kept pushing this movie’s scheduled release further and further. I know it had something to do with making it available for an Oscar nomination consideration, but at this point I guess he’s shooting for the 2011 Oscars. Anyway, the movie is great. It was well written, well directed, and well acted. It’s a really suspenseful story that will have you trying to guess its outcome all the way through. Leonardo does a fine job as the U.S. Marshall, who is tortured by a couple of mental secrets of his own. Ben Kingsley is superb as Dr. Cawley, who’ll have you wondering if he actually cares about these patients or has other intentions for their mental conditions. There’s really not a dull moment in this movie that runs over 2 hours long. It moves pretty fast and it keeps you interested in the characters. The dream sequences are very dramatic and well filmed. As you look inside of Daniel’s mental stability, you start to question how this guy has managed to go on this long, without cracking up himself.
He’s really having trouble dealing with his past, and it’s not helping him through his present. I gave this movie 3 ½ stars out of 4. It’s really a great story that will have you questioning its ending. I’m still trying to put some pieces together. The movie ran 2 hours and 18mins. It’s rated R for disturbing violent content, language, and some nudity. It was written by Laeta Kalogridis from source material from the novel by Dennis Lehane. It was directed by Martin Scorsese. It was produced by Phoenix Pictures, Sikelia Productions, and Appian Way. It was distributed by Paramount Pictures, Sony Pictures Releasing International (SPRI).
If you feel like you’re going to have a mental breakdown, see a doctor. Ezo
Next movie review: The Crazies
