Air of mystery

Rating: 7/10 (20 February 2010)

SHUTTER ISLAND is based on a novel by popular mystery writer Dennis Lehane, who likes to add a gimmick or twist to many of his novels. SHUTTER ISLAND is no exception, and in fact contains several twists. Leo DiCaprio plays a federal marshal in the 1950s looking into the disappearance of a patient from a hospital for the criminally insane. The asylum is on an island near Boston. Once on the island, the marshal finds he can trust no one -- not the psychiatrists, played by Ben Kingsley and Max Von Sydow, and certainly not any of the staff. He also finds he cannot even trust his new partner (played by the affable Mark Ruffalo) who at one point warns him they could become permanent residents of the island if they don't watch out. To make matters worse, the marshal is subject to hallucinations. He sees his wife, who is dead. at every turn and has frequent flashbacks to his time in the military, liberating Dachau. Then a hurricane hits the island and the power goes out. Directed by Martin Scorsese, the movie is a psychological thriller with horror movie overtones. While on the long side, it moves at a decent pace and the special effects are first-rate. Your tolerance for this surreal and ultimately downbeat movie will largely depend on your tolerance for DiCaprio, (he is fine here, although I would have preferred Brad Pitt in the role), and the almost comical shenanigans going on in the spooky old asylum. And be warned: The movie gets pretty nasty, which Scorsese movies tend to. For those confused or disappointed by the ending, read the book. The book's ending is cut-and-dried, leaving no question as to what transpired. The movie's ending is left open to interpretation, which is certainly the director's and/or screenwriter's right.