Shutter Island

Release Date: February 19th, 2010

Click here for the Shutter Island Trailer.

In 1954, U.S. Marshals Teddy Daniels(Leonardo DiCaprio) and Chuck Aule(Mark Ruffalo) travel to the mysterious Shutter Island and its institution for the criminally insane to investigate the disappearance of a murderous patient committed for drowning her three children. Teddy and Chuck are tasked with finding the patient and bringing her back to the institution.

While investigating, Teddy and Chuck slowly begin to realize that the entire staff at the hospital is hiding something and nobody is willing to talk. Teddy and Chuck decide to leave the island but are forced to stay when a hurricane moves in. On the island Teddy begins to have hallucinations and the longer he stays the worse they get.

As the mystery of the institution begins to unravel, Teddy and Chuck begin to realize that if they don't figure out what is going on that they, like the patients, may never leave Shutter Island.

Loosely based on the book of the same name by Dennis Lehane, Shutter Island is a thriller set in the early 1950's that will have you guessing the whole time trying to figure out just what is actually going on. The movie is directed by acclaimed filmmaker Martin Scorsese and stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo and Ben Kingsly.

There has been a lot of hype surrounding this move recently with many people waiting with anticipation for it to come out, especially after it got delayed from an October 2nd, 2009 release date to the final February 19th, 2010 release date. But is it worth all the hype? Many critics say yes but you didn't go to them, you came to me to see if I think it is worth all the hype so lets get into my review.

The initial trailers and publicity for this movie was very intriguing, and it appeared to be a psychological thriller that would require a bit of thinking and attentiveness while watching it. Movies like this grab my attention because I enjoy not knowing what is happening and trying to figure out what is going on. This is where Shutter Island really shines, the mystery. The whole movie has you wondering who is actually sane and who is insane and makes you sit there and wonder what in the world is really going on.

The whole movie builds and builds to the moment Teddy finds out what is going on and when he finally gets there you are just as surprised at what he finds as he is. I will say that the twist at the end may be figured out by some but the ones who do figure it out will not, like me, have it 100% correct. The ending is also where the movie strays away from the book so those of you who read the book will not have the ending completely ruined for you, whether or not that is good or not is up to you.

I'm not a huge fan of Leonardo DiCaprio. I know all the women out there have some strange attraction to him but acting wise he hasn't really blown me away. I'm not saying he is terrible my any means but he isn't top on my list of amazing actors. That being said, DiCaprio did a very very good job in this film. I liked the way he carried himself in this film. His stance and his mannerisms made the character real for me. I also though his dramatic sequences were top notch, allowing the audience to empathize with his character. Overall this is one of DiCaprio's best performances in my book.

DiCaprio wasn't alone in this film however. Starring alongside Leo was the very talented Mark Ruffalo and the always fantastic Ben Kingsley. Ruffalo was very good in his role as DiCaprio's partner Chuck. Ruffalo added a sense of calm to the intense and, sometimes, chaotic performance of DiCaprio and the rest of the craziness this film displayed. He was a kind of anchor to DiCaprio, balancing out the two personas. Kingsley did a fantastic job as the Chief Psychiatrist of the institution Dr. John Cawley. Throughout the film you always wondered what Kingsley's motives were. On the one hand, he always tried to convince you that he was a good person and out to help the patients, yet on the other hand it seemed like he hid a dark secret, one that he was willing to do anything to keep hidden. This added another sense of mystery to the film and an aspect that kept you tentative and guessing.

Overall, Shutter Island was a great film. The atmosphere and the setting gave you chills and it made you afraid to see what was around each corner. Scorsese did a fantastic job of making a truly terrifying mental institution and a setting that made the movie stand out. The plot was enticing and kept the audiences attention and even though it strayed from the book, it will still leave you shocked.

I give Shutter Island 8 Delusional Psychopaths out of 10