Sanity Is Subjective

Rating: 9/10 (24 February 2010)

There is a feeling that permeates every frame of "Shutter Island", a feeling of discomfort and uneasiness - a feeling that suggests, at any moment, we are going to slip comfortably into insanity. That is a feeling that Martin Scorsese effortlessly wields, crafting a world that is not unlike our own and yet is so thoroughly cinematic, it can only be described as masterfully haunting. Clocking in at over two hours, this splendid film draws us into a world and story that are so compelling and fascinating, it is often easy to forget where the theater stops and the asylum begins. It would not be a stretch to say that the current state of mainstream horror is rather unfortunate; it feels as though we have not seen an original story or, at the very least, a truly innovative approach to an old story in ages. It is not surprising, then, that Martin Scorsese would be the one to remind us that horror, when done right, is not the type of genre that must be automatically forbidden to the back of the closet with PG-13 ghost stories and dull remakes. While most other horror films are thoroughly innocuous and inexplicably safe, "Shutter Island" is reminiscent of more old-fashioned fare, the type of film that is unafraid to be divisive and risky. After all, in cinema, without risk, there is nothing at all.
Please read my full review on my blog: www.thelastcritic.blogspot.com