Shutter Island

Shutter Island is a deep and complex picture. It is more than what is tossed to us. It is an examination of a man, his sanity, and the avocation of the populace. The film is too predictable. You know it, I know it, but I believe it is obvious for a reason. Scorsese made a film that is purely psychological; there is NO twist. What we the viewer are left with is an ending that is meant to be explored to the point of being able to find the answer only in between the lines, and in the shades of grey

"Hey, I have an idea! Let's make a two-and-a-half hour movie centered around a twist but reveal it in the first five minutes. And let's get a great director who totally isn't suited to this type of picture. Oh, and we can't forget giving the movie absolutely no re-watch value. Yup. Oscar Gold." UPDATE FOUR YEARS LATER: I hate this review but with 12 stars, to re-do it would be pretty vain. So here.

This film has a few flaws: a few elements are overdone, the reveal/flashback wasn't handled perfectly, and some of the events are harder to understand in retrospect. Still, the suspense is intense, it's brilliant insight into a character, the cinematography mirrors the line between reality and insanity, the ending is fantastic, and it has all the positive hallmarks of a Scorsese film.

Contrived, heavy-handed, and uninvolving. Whatever cinematic virtues it may possess, and whatever ideas may have animated the filmmakers (say about 1950s craziness), the conclusions are trite and the punches telegraphed. Even in terms of the more or less generic entertainment it is clearly intended to be, the result is less than satisfying. As with Lehane's MYSTIC RIVER an overwrought script was the major flaw. Scorsese's least successful feature (until SILENCE).

Maybe if I had never seen a Scorsese movie before I possibly could've given this a higher score. But I have, and in comparison to his best movies (Goodfellas, Raging Bull, etc.), this doesn't even compare. It was a decent movie, but for Scorsese's standards it's one of his worst, if not the worst. Too predictable, I felt like I've seen this same plot unfold a hundred times. The acting was fine but the script needed some major work. Very disappointing.