Well Done

Rating: 8/10 (22 February 2010)

When it comes to directors who are of the caliber of Martin Scorsese, even when they're not producing their best stuff, it is still so much better than most everything else out there. That is the case with Scorsese's Shutter Island. This was not a perfect movie. Not by any means or stretch of the imagination. It was a bit long, and some of the material felt a little recycled. In fact, there's a sequence near the beginning of the film where it seems that Scorsese was borrowing a little too heavily from movies like The Shining or Psycho. However, this was still a movie that kept me on the edge of my seat, and thoroughly entertained. And I have to say, Leonardo DiCaprio turned in one of his best performances to date. His reaction near the end of the movie when his character faces a reality that is absolutely horrifying, was both heartbreaking and genuinely moving. I have to admit, even I got a little choked up during that scene, and that is something that almost never happens. It's interesting. When Paramount pushed back Island's release date to February 2010, I got a little nervous. After all, this time of year is a notorious dumping ground for production companies' crap. However, the fact that it was Scorsese kept me interested. I don't know why Paramount pushed the release date back. And I really don't care. All I know, is I'm glad they did. It was nice to go to the movies in February and not feel like I was throwing my money down the drain.