Overwrought & Heavy-Handed

Rating: Null/10 (24 August 2018)

While there were some merits to "Shutter Island," including the fascinating island setting, the film was labored in the first half, then turned on an intriguing plot twist. Still, there is the clear impression from this reviewer that an actor other than Leonardo DiCaprio would have discovered greater depth in interpreting the main role of Teddy Daniels.
The time is 1954. The setting is Boston Harbor. The more precise locale is an institution for the criminally insane in an Alcatraz of the East Coast. An innate is on the loose on the island, necessitating the arrival of the marshal, Teddy Daniels, and his sidekick, Chuck Aule. Unfortunately, the film really drags for the first hour as Daniels and Aule explore the island and are sized up the medical staff, including the two principal doctors, Cawley and Naehring. Ben Kingsley and MaxVon Sydow are in top form with an undercurrent of menace in their treatment of the visiting cops.
During his whirlwind experience on the island, Teddy appears to be prone to visions or flashbacks, based upon his World War II experience of having discovered the horrors of Dachau as an American GI who first entered the camp. He was also traumatized by the death of his wife in a fire. But the dialogue seemed strained and artificial when a girl appears to Teddy and says, "Why didn't you save me?" with Teddy's response a succinct, "I got here too late." Is Teddy recalling his experience at Dachau, or is it a more personal vision of a family member?
In the essential structure of the film, the success depends in large part on the actor playing Teddy Daniels. DiCaprio often overacted the part. The role demanded many facets of the character's personality and nuanced responses to intense situations. Leo simply could not carry the film the way that was needed in the psychological dimensions of a complex character.