Actually worth the time and effort.

Rating: 7/10 (9 October 2010)

Initially I had doubts about this movie because I have a thing against Leonardo DiCaprio. But I decided to get past my dislike and watched the movie anyway.
And it was actually a great movie, especially the storyline and plot. It had lots of really cool twists and turns, and you were always left in the dark, with only sparks of chances of knowing what was actually going on. And that uncertainty really worked well for the movie. And I must say that I really liked the ending of the movie. Not your typically sappy Hollywood ending here.
I must say that DiCaprio actually put on a great performance in this role, as much as I dislike his previous movies, his performance in "Shutter Island" was actually astounding. And of course, he was helped good on the way by Ben Kingsley, who also put on a magnificent performance.
I haven't read the book, so I am not familiar with how true to the novel the movie actually is, but having read other reviews, it seemed that the movie is loyal to the book. But regardless, the result of this movie is a solid thriller with a really good story, and you are never given a bone as to where the story goes, and it is so unlike most other thrillers out there.
There is something dark and foreboding about the entire setting of the movie - having a mental institute on an isolated island somewhere. And on top of that, the patients there are criminally insane. Just makes it all more interesting (and dangerous). And, for me, the setting was very believable and very well detailed. There was a certain unique style to this movie, and I loved the way it was shot - superb and interesting camera usage here.
I surely was taken by surprise by this movie, and I recommend that you watch it if you haven't already seen it. Especially if you like thrillers that toy with the psyche and if you like movies that are totally unpredictable. I give it a 7 out of 10 rating because of the storyline and the setting, I didn't let my usual dislike of DiCaprio influence this rating in any way. So trust me, this movie is actually worth the time and effort.