Gets under your skin.

Rating: 9/10 (19 February 2010)

In the space of a week we have been given two very distinct examples of how to (and how not to) generate genuine scares. Joe Johnston's The Wolfman exhibited cheap, shallow attempts of frightening the audience, mostly consisting of lazy "don't look around the corner" moments that relied on loud noises and sudden movements to make you jump. On the opposite end of the spectrum, Martin Scorsese - as you would expect from such a virtuoso director - demonstrates an innate knack for producing goose bumps, combining atmospheric sound design and terrifyingly vivid images – most notably during Teddy's dream sequences – that get under your skin to brilliant effect. Shutter Island is not a horror flick mind you. It is more akin to Hitchcock's The Birds; eerie, chilling and deeply disturbing. You'll probably not jump out of your seat once but, like Scorsese understands and Johnston needs to learn, it is what stays in your head after the credits roll that is of greater significance.
Based on Dennis Lehane's novel, Shutter Island's narrative doesn't hold its punches back. Dealing with murder, corruption, alcohol abuse, mental sickness, genocide and torture; no dramatic stone is left unturned. Occasionally it feels a little heavy-handed, but what else can you expect from the guy who penned the source material for Mystic River and Gone Baby Gone? Screenwriter Laeta Kalogridis commendably keeps Lehane's story moving, never allowing it to be bogged down with one particular issue ensuring the thriller aspect of the film – arguably what the majority of audience members will be seeing the movie for - gets plenty of room to develop. With a handful of twists here and there and information drip-fed methodically, you'll never be wholly confident in what you think is happening or, more importantly, what is going to happen.
Regular Scorsese collaborator Leonardo DiCaprio (he's starred in the director's last four films) is in top form yet again, adding clout to the ever-increasing opinion of this reviewer that he may well be one of the best actors of our generation. Willing to give himself over to the material completely, the onetime Romeo embodies his character with such verve and preciseness that he's never less the entirely convincing. Meanwhile Michelle Williams is quietly carving out a niche for herself as the tormented soul, her eyes able to convey so much emotion that words almost seem unnecessary; old-timers Kingsley and von Sydow provide their psychiatrists with the perfect amount of ambiguity; Haley is gruesome and sympathetic in a cameo role whilst Ruffalo plays the unfussy part of Teddy's partner with more subtle cleverness than initially noticed.
Due to the class of Scorsese throughout his illustrious career this may not even make his top five, however 99% of directors around the world would gladly call this their masterpiece.
4 out of 5 (1 - Rubbish, 2 - Ordinary, 3 - Good, 4 - Excellent, 5 - Classic)