Scorsese is brilliant as usual, but the story is a bit overdone

Rating: 7/10 (27 March 2010)

This is something a little different from Martin Scorsese. I'm not sure that his style of directing is a good match for this type of story but he still manages to make a competent film out of the overly complex material. The story deals basically with insanity, a lot of it. U.S. Marshal Teddy Daniels (DiCaprio) is assigned to a missing persons case on Shutter Island regarding a patient from Ashcliffe mental hospital who has gone missing. Along with his partner, Daniels arrives at the island, only to discover that there is much more to the patients disappearance than he could ever have expected.
Much of the film meanders this way and that, seeming pretty drawn out at times. The atmosphere mostly makes up for the dragging because even if nothing is happening, it feels like it can at any moment. There are lots sinister faces, dark corners, hidden meanings, ulterior motives, and so on. But after awhile you just want to get to the crux of the incident already. People are obviously not what they seem but who is right and who is wrong? Are they hiding something? Is the main character paranoid? To the writers and Scorsese's credit, the ending does in fact validate all of this meandering because what seemed aimless before now becomes very important in light of what is truly going on. They are like random puzzle pieces that are meaningless by themselves but, when joined together, create a whole picture. I'm thinking this is one of those films that becomes more interesting on second viewing because the viewer is able to appreciate all the occurrences that before just seemed haphazard and meaningless, but were actual pieces to the puzzle.
Scorsese handled the material quite well, but I wish he had chosen a different story to bring to the screen. This one didn't do it for me as much as I would have liked. Leonardo Dicaprio, Scorsese's new muse I see, is pitch perfect as always. As an actor, this guy is phenomenal. Can he do no wrong? His performance in the final act of the film is enough to make the whole thing worthwhile.
Overall: Really good film, just not really in keeping with my personal tastes. Top notch directing, camera-work, and acting. My rating: 7/10