Shutter Island - Live like a monster, or die a good man??

Rating: 10/10 (24 April 2010)

Martin Scorsese's latest installment Shutter Island is a challenging yet fantastic Gothic thriller that not only entertains, but forces us to ask questions about the duality of humanity and the incredible power of the human brain.
Leonardo DiCaprio, Scorsese's favorite partner in crime, stars as U.S. Marshall Teddy Daniels, a widower, and a smart and rugged detective that smokes like a chimney and always gets his man. Set in 1954, DiCaprio plays to a T that confident, tough police detective of classic hard boiled, pulpy noir films. The opening scene of the film puts us into familiar territory with DiCaprio: on a boat. As it emerges steadily out of the mist toward an island, Daniels stands on the edge of the deck with his partner, U.S. Marshall Chuck Aule, played brilliantly by Virginia native Mark Ruffalo. With it's razor blade cliffs, monster waves and numerous straight lace, heavily armed guards, the looming Shutter Island makes Alcatraz look like a Hawaiian vacation spot.
The pair has been sent to the secluded location to investigate and potentially capture Rachel Solando, a patient at the island's Ashecliffe Hospital for the Criminally Insane who murdered her three children and who has apparently vanished from her cell out of thin air. Upon arrival at the hospital, the detectives meet Dr. Cawley, the head doctor and overseer of the institution played beautifully by Academy Award winner Ben Kingsley. Cawley first comes off as pleasant and eager to assist the investigation, but his unwillingness to release important information, and his general creepiness, lead us to believe there is something dark and sinister hiding behind closed doors that he does not want us to see.
Strange coincidences prevent them from getting specific background history on doctors and patients, and the arrival of a powerful hurricane only complicates things further. It doesn't help that one of the head doctors has ties to Nazi Germany and the head guard follows them all over the island like an overly-determined hawk.
As days pass and eerie events continue to unfold (a patient slips him a note that says "run"), Daniels begins to voice to Aule that something isn't right on the island. Daniel's suspicions prove to be true after an informative, and equally strange, chance run in with a patient. It is then that he comes to the haunting realization that the hospital is in actuality a cover up for unethical human brain experimentation involving radical surgeries and drug treatments.
But as Daniel's sinks deeper into the hospital's dark pool of secrets, his own devastating personal issues begin to be revealed. We are informed about his past through a series of flash backs and dream sequences. Vivid hallucinations involving his dead wife, as well as some involving painful memories from his soldier days in WW2, begin to increase in frequency and lucid intensity as the investigation becomes increasingly frightening. Much in the vein of The Shining and Mulholland Drive, the line between fantasy and reality becomes blurred, and in a shattering yet stunning climax we see how Daniel's dark past is linked to the island more than we could have possibly imagined.
This film is unquestionably a must see. The cast is a smörgåsbord of some of the finest actors in the business that also includes Michelle Williams, Patricia Clarkson and Ted Levine in key supporting roles. And I mean, come on, it's Leo! Scorses's directing is not flawless in this film (I have an eye for continuity errors), but nonetheless the editing, lighting, special effects and structure of the story are all combined to create something that is very impressive both in visual style and narrative coherency. Most impressive though is the pacing of the film. Slow enough to develop characters and establish the plot, but with enough twists and turns to keep you from snoozing. So kudos there (I can't believe I just said "kudos", but whatever).
Towards the conclusion of the film, Daniels rhetorically asks Aule, "Is it better to live like a monster, or die a good man?" It is this existential question that challenges us to peel back the layers of the film and look at our own lives; to weigh the duality of our own existence.
This is not a film for everyone. Not every question is answered and it does in fact involve a slight bit of thinking. To a certain extent, you can draw your own conclusions and make your own interpretations. And in some regards, the film leaves it up to us to decide the fate of the main character. But fittingly, these aspects run parallel with the film's themes of fate, searching for truth and choosing the "reality" of our own life. Or, if you don't care about themes or deeper meanings, and enjoy playing with Legos, just go relish it for sheer entertainment purposes! Actually, I kind of like Legosso never mind.
Shutter Island is certainly the Oscar front runner for 2010, and one of the best psychological thrillers ever, so don't miss out!