An interesting movie, but I expected more from Scorsese

Rating: 7/10 (13 March 2010)

Do not misunderstand me...I liked Shutter Island, because it certainly offers various positive elements.However, on a deeper level, it does not look like a film from director Martin Scorsese...I generally could not feel on it that fierce energy which identified many of his movies.Nevertheless, I will not deny this is an entertaining film which produces a good atmosphere.
I had special interest in this movie, because it represented the first incursion from Scorsese in the mystery genre; I suppose his remake of Cape Fear could get into that category, but Shutter Island has many traditional elements from the genre, from mysterious disappearances to dark dungeons where the danger lurks everywhere.On that aspect, the first half of the movie works pretty well at establishing the mystery, suggesting a treacherous motivation for the villain and showing the tortuous past from the hero, which adds a personal subtext to the investigation he makes.However, on the second half, the movie looses the focus with false clues, redundant scenes and narrative alleys.Besides, I do not know whether Scorsese did not feel very comfortable working with this material, or if he wanted to make a tribute to films like The Silence of the Lambs, The Shining and Spellbound (1945).However, I would have preferred a more personal vision of the genre, and not a mere reproduction of the innovations introduced by other movies.
The aficionados to film or literary thriller will know that the stories which involve asylums, psychiatrists and mental perturbations always end up falling on three or four narrative formulas.Shutter Island is not the exception, and it was pretty easy for me to predict the twist in the end which should have supposedly left us amazed.Dennis Lehane (the author of the book this movie is based on -which, by the way, I have not read-) may noticed that, so he decided to distract us and confuse the road from the story.However, the only thing he made is adding an extra half an hour which makes the story a bit tiring.However, on the positive side from this movie, we have Scorsese's efficient direction and the solid performances from Leonardo DiCaprio, Ben Kingsley, Mark Ruffalo and Michelle Williams.
Talking about Williams, she appears on the best moments of the movie, and it was there where I seemed to recognize Scorsese as I usually know him; unfortunately, the rest of the movie lacks of identity, and it limits to be a competent thriller, but which is not very ambitious or highly memorable.However, I recommend it to have a time of interesting mystery.In summary, this is a good movie, but I expected more from it.