Shutter Island Review
By David Kempler
Fantasy Island for the Criminally Insane
The setting is 1954, on an island off the coast of New England. This rocky island houses a mental institution for the criminally insane. More accurately, it's the "cream" of the worst and most dangerous loons that populate the premises. U.S. Marshal Teddy Daniels (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his new partner Chuck Aule (Mark Ruffalo) are heading there by ferry to investigate the disappearance of one of the patients.
In the first fifteen minutes, the great director Martin Scorsese is so over-the-top trying to show us the evil we are entering that it feels like a parody rather than an original. The music is so blastingly loud and ominous, and the dialog so horrendous, that it gets to the point where it was tough not to giggle. I half-expected a cut to a sneering man toying with his overgrown moustache, cackling evilly. On a side-note, seeing DiCaprio in a fedora also made me snicker, but that's my issue with not thinking as much of him as does the general public.
After learning the proper protocols of how to behave on the island from a cop who has a permanent half-smile, our two marshals are delivered to the head psychiatrist, Dr. Cawley (Ben Kingsley). At the same time they meet Dr. Naehring (Max Von Sydow). From this point forward, "Shutter Island" plays well, at times even brilliantly. However, it slips back into silliness a few times also. What we are left with is as uneven a film as I have seen in quite some time and possibly Scorsese's most inconsistent work of his illustrious career.
Marshall Daniels is locked in on his quest but he is clueless what he has gotten himself into and, thankfully, the audience is also confused at times, in a good way. "Shutter Island" careens around aimlessly, reminding us of "North By Northwest" and "The Shining" and never achieving full traction. In one scene, with the normally outstanding Patricia Clarkson, we are almost brought back to the level of the film's absurd opening.
Because Scorsese is such a talent, "Shutter Island" isn't all that bad. When Kingsley, and especially Von Sydow, are featured, it can approach mesmerizing. Unfortunately, they are not the primary characters. What also saves "Shutter Island" is a pretty intriguing last half-hour. It caught me off-guard and I always like that.
While "Shutter Island" is weak for a Scorsese flick, it's decent by normal standards. You might be a tad let down when you look back upon the experience but it won't make you shudder with disappointment.
