A thinking man's psychological thriller gets the royal treatment from Scorsese and company...

Rating: 7/10 (22 February 2010)

Relax. This review won't give away the ending which comes as somewhat of a surprise, although many will admit to guessing the overall situation pretty early on.
If you like your mysteries drenched in atmospheric surroundings, look no further than SHUTTER ISLAND. Director Martin Scorsese starts out with murky skies and a foreboding of doom as two men (a sheriff and his partner) approach a rocky coastline on a ferry as an ominous looking island looms into view. The plot, although keeping the viewer in a sea of confusion as it unravels, only becomes clear toward the last thirty minutes--but until then, the less you know about the outcome, the more you will enjoy the satisfying ending.
None of the exposition is direct. Instead, we see the story from the viewpoint of a man (LEONARDO DiCAPRIO) who is obviously very troubled about tragic incidents in his past and who only gradually begins to see things in a different light. His journey is compelling right from the start, thanks to the marvelous performances of DiCaprio and MARK RUFFALO who begin their investigation into happenings at the island housing the mentally insane--some of them very dangerous cases.
Director Martin Scorsese has the benefit of an excellent cinematographer, ROBERT RICHARDSON, whose camera work makes every frame of the film captivating. All of the exterior scenes along the rocky coastline of Maine have a sinister look. The story is told in a leisurely way but there is always an air of mystery in the relationships between the main characters, including BEN KINGSLEY as the psychiatrist in charge of the institution and MAX VON SYDOW as a suspicious looking German doctor.
It's best not to dwell on the final outcome--but let's just say it probably won't come as a complete surprise to everyone. Nevertheless, it's the sort of thinking man's psychological thriller that any mystery fan should be able to savor.