Mesmerizing piece of filmmaking from one of the greats

Rating: 8/10 (10 November 2013)

Martin Scorsese's "Shutter Island" went a bit under the radar after the big hype ended as it was released right before Christopher Nolan's "Inception" starring Leonardo DiCaprio also. This adaptation of the Dennis Lehane novel turned out very nicely, however. The screenplay was written by Laeta Kalogridis, who was also in charge of the script to the infamous "Alexander", but if her talent was somehow in question, it's all been made up by her work for Shutter Island. Some people say that Scorsese needs to move on to another recurring lead actor than Di Caprio, but I say, if Shutter Island has any kind of influence in that decision, he should actually be working with nobody else. "Shutter Island" runs considerably over two hours and DiCaprio as Teddy Daniels is pretty much in there from start to finish and commands the screen incessantly.
The whole supporting cast did a decent job as well, some more, some less. I'd like to emphasize especially Ben Kingsley whose work with Scorsese here and also, more recently, in Hugo worked out incredibly well. In this one, he plays the head of a mental hospital and seems to have a great time portraying that character. I definitely had a great time watching him. He was so much fun in all his scenes, in the more serious scenes, but also for example when he keeps giggling about the interactions between DiCaprio's and von Sydow's character. This was maybe the only one whose significance I really didn't see, which is a shame as von Sydow is without a doubt a very good actor. He's a bit of a link for the main character back to his time as a soldier and I could have done without these parts as they did not add very much to the story. In contrast to that, Ted Levine (known from "Silence of the Lambs" and "Monk") proves again what an underrated, brilliant actor he is and totally dominates his one scene, in which he delivers Daniels and the audience a memorable monologue on violence.
This was already the second or even third time I watched "Shutter Island", so the whole final twist wasn't new or refreshing anymore, but I remember being quite shocked the first time I saw it about how things unfolded and it was certainly good to see it again and pay more attention to details I may have overlooked earlier, now with the knowledge of what is going to happen. Apart from that, I'm fairly sure that I still haven't understood all that's beyond the surface, all the metaphors and symbolisms here and that's why it's surely a good choice for a rewatch. You discover something new every time. The setting is perfectly chosen and displayed: an isolated gloomy island that adds a truly claustrophobic note to the film. I was actually surprised how many songs were included. I hardly remembered any when the end credits began. I guess it's true that the best soundtrack is one you don't recognize. I felt the fact that there was rarely more than one well-picked noise, be it heavy rain or birds tweeting added a lot to how atmospheric this film was.
As you certainly know by now, I totally recommend this film. It's a bit of a pity it was overlooked completely at the Academy Awards, probably due to its early release date in 2010. "Shutter Island" is exactly the horror/thriller I like. Give me something like that over bloodthirsty zombies running behind a gang of cheerleaders anytime. People say, Scorsese is past his peak, but if this film and "Hugo" are any kind of indicators, I'd say he's shining more brightly than ever. Hopefully he can retain this level for another 10-15 years.