One of my favorite Dicaprio flicks

Rating: 7/10 (19 January 2013)

Shutter Island is my favorite type of movie. It has a complex plot, amazing acting, and stunning atmosphere. If you liked The Prestige or The Sixth Sense, this could possibly become one of your favorites.
Contrary to what the trailer leads you to believe this movie is not horror, its suspense. It literally IS suspense. From the opening minute I was enthralled in the dialogue and atmosphere. I couldn't help but analyze every word for clues about the characters true motives. I wasn't sure who to trust except for Teddy (Played by Leonardo DiCaprio) and his partner Chuck (Mark Ruffalo). The movie is set in 1954 Boston on an Island occupied by the mentally insane. Chuck and Teddy are U.S. Marshals investigating a missing persons case. Right away you can tell something's up. I'll let you decide on a theory for yourself, because if I went into the plot in detail it would only ruin some of the twists and turns. Don't miss a single scene, because there are subtle hints throughout the movie that you will pick up on if you pay attention to the details. In fact, I actually was able to predict some of the happenings near the end; which was somewhat disappointing. It didn't detract too much, and I certainly didn't understand all of what was going on. On a second viewing you actually gain a real respect for how much everything makes sense. There wasn't any plot holes that I caught. This movie is actually based on a book of the same name. If not sure how close it is to the original considering that I haven't read it, but I'd be shocked if you weren't satisfied with the adaption simply because it's such a well-directed film.
The cinematography in this movie is amazing. Each scene has a well thought out color pattern; blue hues and foggy grays abound. The lighting in each scene was perfect. Just right in the intense moments so you can't see all the details. At one point Teddy is holding a match that is lighting the room around him. When the match goes out the screen goes black and you can't see anything until he lights another match. It was very intense. The atmosphere is always eerie because of the island itself. It's always foggy or storming. It almost has a supernatural feeling. Some moments are especially frightening. In one of the final scenes when you see what has really happened; it's actually quite disturbing. The movie doesn't scare you with piles of gore, just its unstable characters. The "Patients" are grotesque. The makeup people did a superb job of making the most realistically scary faces. The soundtrack is haunting. It builds the tension to a boiling point. It's one of those scores where if it came on you would instantly say "Oh that's from Shutter Island!" Over all I have no complaints with any of the technical aspects of the movie.
I can't do a review of this movie without mentioning the outstanding acting. As usual Leonardo DiCaprio puts on amazing show. This movie is really all about him. He has the uncanny ability to reel the audience in with his emotion. The reason you are uneasy as you watch is because DiCaprio sells that you should be. Trust me, once you get to know all about the character Teddy you'll realize just how amazing his performance is. Mark Ruffalo was very good as well. He played a good Watson to Leonardo's Sherlock. When you know what to look for in a second viewing you can see a lot of subtle facial expressions that are hints of things to come. Ben Kingsley's Dr. Cawley was suitably bold. I was honestly cheering against him. After the credits rolled though, I realized that he was acting perfectly for his character's situation. Max Von Sydow was chilling as Dr. Naehring. He had a lighthearted evil about him. The rest of the cast was good as well. No bad acting to report.
This movie is among my favorites. It's not quite a perfect ten, but it's close. You get pulled in from the start by the acting and story. I can't recommend it enough if you like suspense/mystery movies.
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