An mind bending, deeply atmospheric thriller

Rating: 9/10 (15 January 2015)

Shutter Island is as tense, frightening, and complex a movie as I've seen in some time. Paranoid and mind-bending are phrases it brings to mind. It thrills, it chills, it purposely confuses, and its looks deep into the human mind. I would expect nothing less from director Martin Scorsese, famous for his gangster and true crime films.
The Story follows US Marshall Teddy Daniels (Leonardo Decaprio) who's come to Shutter Island to investigate the escape of a dangerous patient from the island's high security mental institution. But he and his partner soon have reason to believe that the people in charge are hiding something. And Daniels has reasons of his own for wanting to come here, reasons that could prevent him from leaving. As the agents dig deeper, each revelation brings new questions, and the sense of dread becomes more palpable, leading to an incredible finale.
The true genius of Shutter Island is the way it protects itself from those who would try to figure it out. It anticipates the intelligent viewer, and puts up false flags and red herrings to mislead you. The better you are at seeing through deception and facades, the sooner you begin to appreciate the scale of the conspiracy at work, but without understanding its nature. Of course, if you're used to mindless shoot 'em ups and idiot plot romantic comedies, then you'll be completely lost.
But even if you're well versed in mystery and conspiracy films, Shutter Island never lets you believe that you've completely figured it out. It contains revelations that contradict, or at least seem to contradict, each other, and some that you simply will not believe when they're given. And it creates contestant doubt in your mind, and Daniels's about who's in on it, and who can be trusted. At times you simply don't know who or what to believe. Plus there are dreams and visions that simply will not make sense until all is explained at the end. It's somewhat reminiscent of Inception, which also featured Decaprio in a similar role.
And the acting is fully on par with the screenplay. The actors playing the doctors, the guards, and the patients perfectly portray characters who are themselves putting on an act. They give an air of knowing more than they're saying, but without being too obvious about it. If you don't know what you're looking for, it might be mistaken for bad acting. Even better is Decaprio, in what might be his best performance since Titanic. As Daniels he is intense, driven, haunted by events in his past, and more troubled than he knows. Through the course of the movie he conveys anger, suspicion, fear, desperation, self doubt, resolve, and more, and gets each of them down pat.
Plus it goes without saying that this is a scary movie. Like I said before, it gets pretty paranoid, with dark conspiracies hinted at and everyone a suspect. Then there's the fact that he's on an island with a bunch of violent mental patients, who pose a more immediate physical danger. Add to this the imposing prison/hospital, the darkened corridors of the Civil War fort, and a powerful, drenching storm that cuts the island off from any contact with the outside world, and you've got all the ingredients of a classic horror film. This is definitely not a movie for small children or the faint of heart.
If you enjoy horror, mystery, or complex thrillers in general, see Shutter Island. Hats off to Mr. Scorsese for another job well done.