Shutter Island (2010)

Shutter Island is a 2010 psychological thriller film directed by the legendary Martin Scorsese (Goodfellas, Casino). It stars Leonardo DiCaprio as the war-hardened US Marshall, Edward Daniels, who is brought to Shutter Island (an island in Boston Harbor that is one big mental asylum for the criminally insane) in 1954 to investigate the disappearance of one of the patients in. Daniels and his partner, Chuck Aule (played by Mark Ruffalo), arrive at the island to an uneasy staff, and a mysterious head psychiatrist (Ben Kingsley). Then the story progresses as the duo search the island and discover more about the island’s secrets in their search for the missing patient. It ends with one of the best twists in all of film and really makes the viewer question everything that happens in the movie. This film has split the film community, critics and fans alike. I personally think that Scorsese has outdone himself once again with yet another fantastic film.

Let’s start off with the movie’s strong point, the plot. This film was adapted from the 2003 novel by the same name written by Dennis Lehane. It really has a complex plot that requires you to follow along closely in all of the dialogue sequences for you to really understand what’s going on. The thing that makes this movie so fantastic is that is makes you think. By the time the credits rolled there was so much to take in and try to interpret, as the ending of the film will blow you away. Anyone who tells you that they say the ending coming is a liar. Now onto the acting. DiCaprio gives an excellent performance, as usual, and all of the supporting actors and actresses give fantastic performances. It was filmed almost entirely in Massachusetts, giving it that authentic New England feel to the locations of the film. The only complaint I have for the movie is the choppy camera cutting. In some scenes it gets a little disorienting, Other than that this is a flawless film.

I give this movie a 9/10. Nearly everything in this movie was perfect. It can’t be emphasized enough that this movie has one of the best plots of any movie I have ever seen. The plot is as complicated and thought-provoking as it is emotional and tear-jerking. This is a movie to watch without any distractions, as missing something in this plot can ruin the ending for you. I urge anyone and everyone to see this movie. A word of caution, the movie is very violent and can be incredibly disturbing in some scenes. Anyone who can’t handle violence well should probably not watch this movie as it shows plenty of gore and the mentally disturbed patients may be unsettling to some. If you can get past this part then this movie is a must see!