Strange Film For Someone Like Scorcese

Rating: 5/10 (28 February 2010)

I'll start by saying that I did enjoy this film overall but there are a lot of really annoying aspects to it. First off is DiCaprio's stubble, which in 1954 would have made him a vagrant, not a US Marshall. Then there was the ridiculous music that accompanied an inconsequential scene of the marshals entering the asylum gates for the first time. It built up and built up, then nothing happened. That kind of thing is really annoying. The score overall veered from terrific to grating and inappropriate in places. I often found it quite distracting. There were many continuity problems throughout. If it was meant to add another dimension to the film, it failed. Instead it was distracting and gave the impression that they ran out of time/budget more than anything else. The plot is largely obvious from early on. If it takes you more than 15 minutes to work out what is going on, there is something wrong with you. OK, the full extent of the revelations at the end is harder to divine before it's revealed but the thrust of it is obvious. The film was, as you'd expect, beautifully shot and the cast was pretty good, although DiCaprio's Boston accent came and went at different times. The setting was also magnificent, which added to the overall effect. As a genre film, Shutter Island doesn't work nearly as well as others. Identity comes to mind as a far better attempt at the same kind of story. It's probable that it's strength is that it is not really a genre film and will, therefore, appeal to a broader audience. However, it is definitely not one of Scorcese's best. If I had to rank it, it would sit somewhere near Bringing Out the Dead.