An underrated masterwork from a Director scaling new heights

Rating: 10/10 (8 May 2017)

The combined skills of a brilliant contingent of filmmakers takes us through a myriad of skillfully constructed turns and wrong turns in this memorable psychological thriller. The construction of this film is deliberately and superbly filled with questions, leaps back and forth in time and dimension. The viewer is trapped on Shutter Island in Boston Harbor...difficult to reach and seemingly impossible to leave. Leonardo DiCaprio's character is challenged by withheld information, by mysterious and dark hallways,by warnings of dangerous elements around him. This is modern noir at its trickiest and most thrilling --- all put together by Martin Scorsese in a splendid shift of cinematic focus. DiCaprio's excellence is matched by a fine cast - notably Mark Ruffalo, Ben Kingsley, Max VonSydow, and the ever-remarkable Patricia Clarkson. Its questions and solution(?) leave you exhausted from the suspense...and, at the same time, leaving you with a final conclusion that rattles your whole conception. Brilliant film all the way.