Shutter Island

Shutter Island marks the fourth collaboration between renowned director Martin Scorsese and actor Leonardo DiCaprio-- previous works include The Departed, Gangs of New York and The Aviator-- and this fact was not lost on me as I sat through the trailers before the film began. My expectations were sky high from the very beginning.

The movie tells the story of a federal marshal, Edward “Teddy” Daniels (DiCaprio) and his new partner, Chuck Aule (Mark Ruffalo) who travel to an institution on the title island off the coast of Boston to investigate the mysterious disappearance of a female patient.

The situation is suspect from the very start, as the asylum’s head doctor (Ben Kingsley) quickly-- and dubiously?-- proves uncooperative with the officers’ work. It seems as though he and everyone else has something to hide, and Daniels is determined to uncover the truth. And in we leap to the twists and turns of plot and character development.

The institution is haunted and the woman is a ghost; the madness, as the marshal jokes, is contagious; the government is involved in some devious plot that almost too conveniently includes the officers.

Scorsese is smart to reveal the truth with such finesse that the audience is kept as confused and tortured as Daniels until the very end. In doing this, though, he actually had me convinced that the film was far worse than it truly was.

As the plot thickened, I found the script-- the lines, themselves-- contrived and cliché; it seemed as though an amateur was behind the wheel, not one of the most celebrated filmmakers of our time.

Moreover, the story became so convoluted and elaborate that the confusion nearly felt accidental, as though the film had become lost in itself. So much had happened and so much had changed that I was close to giving up and simply labeling the entire thing a lost cause. But, of course, this was exactly where Scorsese wanted me.

In addition to the twist-- and as much as you think you may have it figured out, you will be proven wrong-- the interwoven dream sequences are absolutely spellbinding. Not only do they contribute quite effectively to the overall theme of mystery, they provide an ambiance that is nothing short of haunting. Michelle Williams gives a performance as Teddy’s late wife that I cannot help but note.

To conclude, Shutter Island is the thinking film viewer’s fantasy come true, and it has left me anxious for the director-actor dream team’s next project.