Verdict: Engaging, entertaining, and intelligent — if you let it suck you in.

Rating: 9/10 (11 March 2010)

Have you ever lost your orientation under water? Fallen into a river and momentarily become unsure of which direction is up and which is down, for example? It may only last a split-second, but it's a terrifying experience. While never frightening or terrifying, Shutter Island brought me as close as any movie has to becoming that disoriented, and it can do it to you too if you let it.
Overview
The movie starts out rough. Some wooden dialogue is exchanged between two detectives on a ferry. Honestly, it had me worried those first few minutes. Fortunately it doesn't take long for the mystery to begin, and after that it's hard not to get pulled in by the questions that build up. The movie keeps you chasing after answers like a carrot on a stick. If you pay attention, virtually every scene adds more questions to the mystery, and any answers that are given become increasingly tenuous.
While the unanswered questions about Shutter Island drive the story forward, there's more than mystery to keep you entertained. That's an important point — the movie holds its own even if you're familiar with the plot. Most of the dialog is clever. While the characters are flat and 2-dimensional, each one functions well within the story. Interesting silhouettes all, you could say. Possibly the most intriguing aspects of the film are the dream sequences. To me they felt very dream-like (a hard trick to pull off), and they intertwine with the plot brilliantly.
The Cast
Every actor is well placed in their part, and it's an interesting assortment of talent. Ben Kingsley is a stand-out and manages to convey the position and feelings of his character with simple glances and expressions. Leonardo DiCaprio well, as always, his acting is excellent in some ways, but at times I felt like his voice was too controlled and somewhat stiff. I also have a suspicion that he intentionally seeks roles that don't suit him just so that he can show his breadth of range. Once or twice during the first half of the film I found myself wondering about this once. As the story progressed, however, I began to identify with him more and more as Teddy Daniels, and I began to see less of DiCaprio. I could have sworn that his acting got better as the movie progressed, but that might have been my mind playing tricks on me.
Some of the most interesting acting went into the minor roles — Patricia Clarkson, Emily Mortimer, Max Von Sydow, Ted Levine and Robin Bartlett all deliver memorable, if brief, performances.
The End
Without going into details, all I'm going to say is that the end of the movie is very satisfying, in a thought-provoking way, and not because of any "twist." The last line, in particular, has interesting interpretations. (Note: If you've seen the film and you're confused about the last line, I've written a few brief words on it)
How to enjoy this movie:
* Commit yourself to trying to solve the mystery of exactly what's going on, and just go along for the ride.
* Don't expect a whole lot of action. This movie is full of suspense and mystery, but not much of a thriller.
* Don't expect the main character to make all the right moves. It's easy to think "He should be doing this," or "Man, what's he thinking? I wouldn't do that," but then again we have a bird's eye view of this story's progression.
* Pay attention to where people cast their glances throughout the movies. Very telling? Maybe, maybe not. Very interesting, for sure.
* Don't put the weight of your judgment on "the twist" (this one applies to all twist movies). I don't understand people who do their best to guess what the twist is going to be, only to whine and complain when they get it right. They set themselves up for disappointment and then blame it on the movie rather than themselves. My advice: Don't fall into that trap. Simple as that.
Weak Points:
* If you try to get the better of this movie, or try to be smarter than it, you might succeed but then you won't get anything out of it. Intellectual masochists beware.