great director, great actors but....

Rating: 6/10 (13 March 2010)

Did anyone see the movie Hide and Seek, in which Robert de Niro is the main suspect in a bloody murder and in the end he actually turns out to be the murderer? Or Secret Window in which Johnny Depp is terrorized by a prowler at his cabin in the woods and in the end there isn't one and it turns out to be Johnny Depp himself? Well, welcome to Shutter Island. No matter how hard one tries to suspend one's disbelief with this movie, there inevitably comes a point when it's just all too convoluted for words and the story falls apart. If this viewer had been watching it at home he would have put his foot through the screen at the ending. No question Scorsese is a master of cinema, no question there is enormous talent at work in the acting department and no question a ton of money was poured into this project. But the story begins to slide midway, everything clicks into place and all one can do is hope one's suspicions are wrong. Unfortunately, for all the red herrings, it isn't hard to work out. When the twist to the story is finally revealed all one can think is, "Yeah, right. As if." Quality film-making at work here and Scorsese manipulates like the master he is, but if only the damn story wasn't so unbelievable when it comes down to it.