Someone is missing.

Rating: 7/10 (20 February 2010)

SHUTTER ISLAND is the story of two U.S. marshals, Teddy Daniels and Chuck Aule, who are summoned to a remote and barren island off the coast of Massachusetts to investigate the mysterious disappearance of a murderess from the island's fortress-like hospital for the criminally insane.
SHUTTER ISLAND is Martin Scorsese's first jab at doing a horror/thriller-type film since CAPE FEAR. However, there's no doubt that the film will disappoint many who are expecting a straight up horror film as the TV spots and trailers suggest. In fact, it's further from the truth. At its heart, SHUTTER ISLAND is all about atmosphere and the building of uneasiness, which, at times, do fail to work. It's not a perfect film, at least for me. It's far from it. I found the pacing to be slow at times and the mystery didn't quite pull me in as I expected it to be. Director Martin Scorsese also seem to have a hard time trying to build up suspense, especially towards the end.
I also found it to be a frustrating movie experience, but I say that as a compliment. The film does get it at you in the head with the intentional inconsistent editing of scenes and making the viewers very confused with what the film has to offer. In the end, however, Scorsese manages to put all of the puzzle pieces together without cheating the audience. Sure, some might find the ending to be very bad and others might find it very obvious, but there just can't be a movie that everyone ends up liking.
I loved how Scorsese refrained from using clichés from certain scenes that begs to have clichés be used. You know those scenes where the music builds up to a huge pop up scare? Well, there's none of that here. Scorsese lets the scenes play out for themselves, rarely using any building up of music at all. This is how he achieves the tone and atmosphere of the film. It's the working relationship between the cinematographer, production designers, director, actors, etc that molds every scene together which is one reason for this film to stand out on its own.
The film brings along a lovely cast, including Leonardo DiCaprio, who gives it his all in here. He gives a terrific performance even as his mental state breaks down as the film progresses. Ben Kingsley does a great job in here as well along with a few scenes by Michelle Williams in her Boston accent and Emily Mortimer. Patricia Clarkson also shines through with her brief but important role. The film is also visually stunning. It's obvious that attention was put in every detail of a set and every other thing surrounding it.
SHUTTER ISLAND is a film that is handled with precision and care, although sometimes losing it's focus on the big picture. It's not an Oscar-worthy film as some might hope it to be, but I enjoyed the psychological game Scorsese plays with in the audience's minds and the film's overall haunting story and tone. See this film if you like to enjoy a psychological thriller with a good story that supports a great cast and a fantastic director.