Very good but you need patience

Rating: 7/10 (27 February 2010)

This takes place in 1954 on an island off the coast of Massachusetts that has a hospital for mentally disturbed patients. Federal marshals Teddy Daniels (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Chuck Aule (Mark Ruffalo) go there to find out how a mentally disturbed patient escaped from her cell. The head doctor (Ben Kingsley) seems to want to help--but bars them too. As the search increases Teddy has hallucinations and horrendous nightmares. He slowly starts to suspect that there's a LOT going on that he knows nothing about.
Martin Scorsese's thriller has received rave reviews and is a big success at the box office--but this demands a lot from viewers. To be totally honest I was getting bored after the first hour. The constant hallucinations and dreams that DiCaprio has came at you nonstop with no explanation. I realized later on that there was a REASON for this but it's frustrating at first. Then, during the last 45 minutes or so, the twists and turns come fast and furious and totally mesmerized me. I realized the slow pace and images at the beginning where that way for a reason--but you have to force your way through it (at first). The acting is superb--no one is bad but DiCaprio and Kingsley are excellent. DiCaprio has played this part before but he's just excellent in a VERY disturbing sequence toward the end (you'll know it when you see it). The directing is excellent (of course) and the cinematography is perfect. So--it is slow and a little too long--but that's all needed for the story. This might actually improve with multiple viewings. I give it a 7.