Too Long, Convoluted, and Gory

Rating: 5/10 (6 September 2015)

OK, the atmosphere here was good. I like the idea of a spooky island with a mental institution on it. I also liked the 1950's motif. The pairing of Dicaprio and Rufalo was also fresh.
But frankly, I've had one too many intense Leo/Scorcese movies with Leo faking some hard-boiled east coast accent and getting into a lot of arguments. Give it a rest. Everyone played themselves. Ben Kingsley, Mark Rufalo. Which is fine sometimes, but not much of a challenge.
This thing went on forever. There are multiple scenes of bloody dead children and grotesquely mutilated adults. It flirts with some left wing propaganda about anti-Communist witch hunts or brainwashing, and dabbles in "America is just as sinister as other countries" narrative.
Why not? The book writer and the movie people involved are probably Leftists. I'll give it some credit for a few good lines here and there, good acting by some of the bit players, and great atmosphere.
But I don't recommend watching this thing in one sitting. You'll be looking at your watch. I like the first half set-up, but like most films, it fell apart in the second half. Scorcese is so overrated.