what was the problem with this film?

Rating: 8/10 (16 May 2011)

On its face, this film has all the right ingredients: great cast, the acting was superb, the story well told, there is a twist which i did not see coming- and still, when it was over, I felt as if something was missing. I saw it few times, and the feeling that something was missing did not go away. so what was it? and then, two nights ago, when I saw part of it, again, it struck me: the twist did not make things that happened throughout the film- sensible. let me explain: the sixth sense told a story that was engaging and well played. and then came the twist, and you said: woo... right!!! that explains! and seeing it the second time, things that in the first time went unnoticed, made so much sense now... all of the sudden you saw things that you did not really pay attention to when you saw it for the first time. Knowing the twist just added to the pleasure when you watch it again. That component is missing from Shutter Island. Nothing throughout the story evolves from the twist (when you watch it again), and the twist shed no new light on the events that took place up to that moment. The twist doesn't give new meaning to scenes played before it. on the contrary- the script up to the twist aim to confuse you and to make you think that you see the real thing. and when you see (watching it the second time) the cop that turned out to be something else, you don't see him differently. he is still the same cop that will turn out to be... something else. So while the twist does give different meaning to the story, it has no real depth. But nonetheless, it is a very good film, and you do want to see it.