Elegant Drivel

Rating: 2/10 (17 June 2013)

Scorsese is surely THE most over-rated American director of all time. I vowed never to see another of his bombastic travesties, but was lured into this one by the interesting premise. Alas, only to discover I was right all along. If Scorsese ever makes another good film, it will be purely by accident. He should stick to doing inane commentary on disc releases of other people's films.
Shutter Island seems fine at first: a 'mystery wrapped in an enigma' sort of thing. But it gradually unravels, like all Scorsese's films, as he tries strenuously to demonstrate his genius, rather than simply telling an intelligent story. The ending is a final insult - of the "aren't you sorry you bothered" variety. It's a silly trick that Rod Serling might have used for a half-hour TV diversion, and then only with a much-needed element of self-deprecating irony (a seasoning unfamiliar to the self-absorbed Mr. Scorsese).
Scorsese knows how to move a camera around, and get good performances out of his actors. But if you value logic and meaning over surface gloss, you need to stay away from this piece of elegant drivel.