Excellent. See it more than once.

Rating: 10/10 (2 September 2010)

Before I go any further, I have to say that I haven't read the book so I can't compare the two.
I'm one of those people who love books and movies concerning mental disorders, ghosts, mysteries, one's personal demons and of course jails. So of course this movie seemed like a dream come true for me. My friends recommended this one, although I still would've watched "Shutter Island" even if they hadn't. I thought Shutter Island could be like a combination of Jacob's Ladder, the Ring, Shawshank Redemption and...bunch of other movies. I think I was only 15% right, so don't be alarmed if you don't like the movies I mentioned.
We all know who's the director and which actors play the major roles. They deserve all the praise they get, and hopefully even the last DiCaprio-hater will look him-/herself in the mirror after this. The whole crew working on this film pulled through. Everything is in place and handled with care. The location is beautiful and cinematography is excellent. Script is tight, every actor does a good job. Sound and music are masterfully done, and I admit shedding a tear or two listening to the end credits-song. I could write a thousand lines about this, so I'll keep it short: simply great work by great professionals, great work indeed.
If you haven't seen this movie yet, try to avoid any spoilers if possible. The movie lasts well over 2 hours, but I found myself wanting more after the end. I could easily watch a 4 hour version of Shutter Island, and it would still feel like an hour or two. That being said - even if the film is relatively long, it doesn't have a boring or useless moment. Not one, not even for a second, and I'm hoping for an extended DVD-cut to be released. One can always hope.
The story has layers, and of course some twists. The twists are never stupid, forced or too over-the-top to destroy the first 120 minutes you have seen. You may, like I did, guess what eventually is going to happen and what everything means. That is not a bad thing and I think it's intentional. I even watched it again soon after finishing it and then I really noticed the amount of detail this film had in it. This film is not all about "the twist". The story was interesting to the very end, and hopefully makes you see it again like I did. I felt really rewarded the second time around.
There aren't much cheap scares, this film doesn't treat its viewer as an idiot. Scorsese doesn't work that way. He doesn't need to throw monsters behind your back to create this kind of gripping atmosphere. That little eerie feeling of suspense, it's always present. Main focus, of course, is on DiCaprio's character, whenever he's interacting with others or just following the trail of the mystery...or just dealing with his demons. We see everything through his character, and this approach works beautifully.
Luckily for us, there are still people that, when brought together, simply cannot make a bad movie. This is an instant classic for me.