I have to admit that I was a little worried when Shutter Island was delayed. It was supposed to open back in October last year and then the major studio behind it, Paramount, pushed it back a few months due to financial reasons for the promotion. When a film is delayed either in production, or post- production, the first thought that comes to mind is that said picture just might not be that great and the studio wants to release it at a time when it can still profit, but not garner as much attention if it’s terrible. One recent movie that comes to mind the The Wolfman. Reviews for this film were scathing. It was delayed several times, but still opened on a big weekend in February and has already made $50 million.

Well, my worries turned out to be those of a fool. This movie, the fourth collaboration between Leonardo DiCaprio and Martin Scorsese (Gangs of New York, The Aviator, and The Departed all preceded) turns out to be their creative pinnacle. I don’t know if I can go as far as to say it is their best film. That honor, in my opinion, goes to The Departed for its realistic and intricate take on the crime underground. The way they unearthed that world and brought those people to life was simply outstanding.

Shutter Island, however, IS DiCaprio and Scorsese’s artistic peak thus far. The production design by Dante Ferreri is breathtaking. From the opening scene depicting Federal Marshalls Teddy Daniels (DiCaprio) and his partner Chuck Aule (Mark Ruffallo) sailing to the island to investigate the disappearance of a mentally psychotic patient, this movie absolutely sucks you in. The ominous score illuminates the insanity building in the characters surroundings, and we are left to wonder: “Just who is crazy here on this island?” Could it be the head of this psychiatric ward, Ben Kingsley? With his scaled back and calculated performance, Kingsley is able to convey a sensibility that almost becomes irritating-in a fantastically captivating way.

The camera angles that Scorsese uses to set the tone of the picture are really something. The ever simple-but rarely used nowadays-low angle shot is put to great effect here. It contributes to the sense of dread and bewilderment constantly building inside the viewer. As we follow DiCaprio and Ruffalo along in their ride to the actual asylum (one of three) on Shutter Island, the buildings take on a life of their own. I can’t recall a film in recent memory that makes such use of the settings in the way that these lifeless buildings and props become characters that contribute to the film-but I’ll try to get back to you on that one.

This aspect of the film is its greatest strength, and it unfortunately becomes its greatest weakness. As the film progresses further into the plot, the story development as a whole falls by the wayside, and we are treated to many extreme close-ups of DiCaprio as he is becoming more and more engrossed in his investigation and suspicious about everyone on this island. And though DiCaprio is the film’s second-greatest strength, the longer we are trapped inside the dungeons of these buildings, the more the story slows down with arduous plot exposition until we get to the great reveal. And of course, like many films, this great reveal is one we have seen many times before. But I didn’t mind that the film fell into the familiar territory towards the last act. When the great reveal is fleshed out in its entirety, it becomes sadly disturbing, so the faint of heart probably shouldn’t see the film. Michelle Williams should have a mention here. She has been shuffling around indi-film land lately and though she is a good actress, she did not elicit any emotional investment from the viewer. Better luck next time. I have read that she is great in Blue Valentine with Ryan Gosling and am sure this is true. This role, though small, did not suit her one bit.

I felt that DiCaprio’s performance was yet another of genius, and thought about how remarkable it is that no matter how many revered veteran’s he is put up against on the silver screen (Nicholson, Streep, Keaton, Day-Lewis, Hanks and in this picture, Kingsley) he always holds his own, if not outshines them. Name one other contemporary actor that can do this! Shutter Island is worth the ride for DiCaprio and the phenomenal stylistic direction of Scorsese and his use of the set design. It’s not many times that you see every collaboration work for a team, and right now, these two are hitting their stride and have lots more to come.

***I recently read a commentary by Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly about how the date change of Shutter Island helped the movie succeed in that it changed its status from Oscar bait to pre-summer fun. I disagree (like I ALWAYS do with EW’s critics). Let me know what you think…and I’ll hit you back with my reasoning for future summation…

Filed under: Action, Awesome Art, Bad Ass Leading Men, Thriller/Mystery, silver screen by admin