Entertaining & fascinating thriller!

Rating: 8/10 (26 February 2010)

Going into this film, I knew it would be difficult to get a true sense of how good a movie it was, seeing that I was such a big fan of the book and knew every twist and turn that was coming. I was locked into a state of trying to view it as someone who went in cold. I can say that the movie was very faithful to the book, only leaving out certain scenes in the interest of not wanting a 4 hour movie. So, while watching the film, it was hard to separate from the book and truly view it as only a film without all the back knowledge. I guess my point is that it's easier to be more critical on a film when you were such a big fan of the book and more difficult to just sit back and judge the film for what it is.
That being said, and after reflecting for a few days, I've come to the conclusion that the movie was largely well-done. The acting was first rate. Dicaprio rarely does a bad job and seems to be gaining skill and nuance to his characters as he ages. He played the dark & brooding character quite well. You definitely sensed he was on the verge of possible losing it. Mortimer, Kingsley, & Michelle Williams are all outstanding. I found Mark Ruffalo, who I have liked in previous roles, to be somewhat flat; though this may be more a function of his character he was supposed to play than it was of his talent.
The atmospheric quality to the whole movie, combined with some interesting cinematography, worked well. I seem to remember many short jagged shots intertwined with other shots (both in flashback form but also in a single scene where the camera went back and forth between characters). I think such a style lent to the schizophrenic feeling of the movie and made the viewer feel a little of the confusion & anxiety that Teddy Daniels was feeling. That was done quite well I thought. The island, partly CGI generated, felt very real and like quite a scary place to be. You definitely felt the mystery and anxiety throughout the whole film and, even though I mostly knew what was coming, felt myself tense up and sort of bites my nails at different times.
The story, though a bit hard to fathom in real life, hung together well and answered most all questions that would have been asked by anyone who had not read the book. I felt there were times when a viewer going in cold would be on the verge of catching on to what may be really happening. But then I thought that this was a mental hospital for the criminally insane so anything that didn't make sense could be chalked up to that. This was a top notch thriller that had the viewer guessing and ends up asking a thought-provoking question (or two). The questions offered in this movie in reference to 1950's America, mental hospitals, how we treat our mentally ill, and how human beings respond to trauma are all relevant and quite interesting.
Shutter Island is short of a classic though. The story worked but did have some jagged and hard to follow sequences intertwined with some forced or hokey parts that may have detracted from the final product of the film. Such an up-and-down and complex story can definitely "work" more easy in book form. Also, the "reveal" wasn't as quite as powerful as the book. Bottom line: while this won't contend for an Oscar in '11, it is a very entertaining and satisfying story with great acting in a world where the viewer can truly get lost in.