A top-notch movie,but a notch below the greats

Rating: 8/10 (28 August 2010)

An avid movie-goer such as myself always steps into a Scorsese movie expecting benchmark cinema and why not?The man has raised the bar time and again.Having said that,Shutter Island is an exceptionally well-made movie staying true to its plot and premise throughout.But once the credits roll, deep down you will feel, that there is a fine line between "Good" and "Great" and it is that line which this movie fails to cross.
Scorsese has previously excelled in psychological thrillers when he gave us "Taxi Driver" and made Robert DeNiro a legend.Shutter Island, on the other hand is slightly different,closer to Hitchcock and the likes of "Psycho" and "Silence of the Lambs".
Set in Post WWII America it explores the story of U.S. Marshal Teddy Daniels (Leonardo DiCaprio), who has been assigned the investigation of the disappearance of a patient on Shutter Island's Ashecliffe Hospital.He is partnered by Chuck Aule (Mark Ruffalo).The hospital is headed by Dr. John Cawley (Ben Kingsley), who is shown to believe in radical techniques to treat the mental patients instead of adopting the barbaric and sinister practices,namely Lobotomy, which were in practice during that era.From here, weird occurrences in and around the hospital coupled with a peek into Teddy's troubled past slowly blur the line between what's real and what's not and lead towards a gripping finale.
Scorsese gets most of it spot-on.The plot is tight and the casting perfect.Cinematography is top-notch creating a sense of macabre and desolation.The score too,lends to the eerie atmosphere.There are plenty of twists and turns to keep you hooked and confused till the very last piece of the jigsaw is revealed ,rendering the entire movie a worthwhile experience.The movie hits jackpot as far as the performances are concerned.DiCaprio delivers his best performance till date, and yes,I mean better than Inception.The movie revolves around him and its a stellar act from him;perfectly nuanced,subtle and yet very sharp.He portrays contrasting traits,almost contradictory;shrewd yet vulnerable;keen yet hesitant and its in the uneasy gray between black and white where he successfully manages to color himself.Ben Kingsley is a delight to watch.His persona brings to the movie a sense of haunting and foreboding which it would have otherwise lacked.The rest of the supporting cast are fine too,especially Michelle Williams, who,playing a manic depressive, delivers a short yet chilling act.
But then where does Shutter Island fall short?It does actually.In more ways than one.The script,though well-written, has its share of loopholes.DiCaprio's character and the reason for his insanity is never quite established.Neither do we ever come to know why his wife lost it one fine summer morning, and what exactly propelled her to committing murder.Besides, there are numerous sequences,which in hindsight seem unnecessary as their connection to the plot is never fully revealed.Especially the sequences of Teddy's dreams pertaining to his military exploits do not add much to the story except for telling us that he hallucinates about his family a lot!
All of that not withstanding, Shutter Island is an entertaining watch.It is fast,well-acted and well made.Its a handsome tribute to the noirish productions of the 50's and 60's and stands tall and strong among the plethora of the mediocre which we are regularly subjected to.
It does not disappoint.But then Scorsese never does.Does it leave you impressed?Perhaps.Amazed?Maybe. Awed? Not quite.