Why all the 1's? Really guys???

Rating: 8/10 (26 May 2019)

Martin Scorsese is without a doubt in the running as one of the best American filmmakers of all time. He is just brilliant, and I can't think of a film of his that I've seen which I didn't at least think deserved credit for it's efforts. You can always feel the labor of love in every frame.
Is this Goodfellas? Taxi Driver? Raging Bull? The Aviator? Far from it. But, I've always held this film in high regard because Scorsese went for something that he had never done before. You can say of course that he pulled off some thriller/suspense/horror with Cape Fear, which hinged greatly on De Niro's performance, but with Shutter Island, there's just an... atmosphere to it that is so brilliantly realized. Writing-wise, I don't think it's Lehane's best work. Marty though, he took this material and, in working with Richardson and the rest of the crew, created something truly memorable. A great cast as well, with Leo driving it home as always.
It was pretty predictable, and has some flaws, sure, and I understand those complaints. But, it's not so much that the plot always needs to surprise us, perhaps just entertain us and compel us. Scorsese knows how to do that. He does things with this film (especially visually) that he had never done, and hasn't done since.
As a film lover, I'm proud to have it as a part of my collection, -- well, I own all of Marty's films so maybe I'm just biased, ha -- but I really do think it's something special, and a must-see for any lover of cinema. Don't pay attention to some of these extremely negative reviews and give it a chance! As always, with film, keep an open mind!