Shutter Island (2010)
Director(s): Martin Scorsese
Writer(s): Laeta Kalogridis, Dennis Lehane (novel)
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo, Sir Ben Kingsley, Michelle Williams
Alright folks, we need to get it out of the way (with gravitas of course) that Martin Scorsese is the greatest living director today and I wouldn’t argue with you if you make a case for why he’s the greatest director of all time, no GOAT arguments here because his name is synonymous with film making. Having said that, this entry is about one of the greatest suspense thrillers of all time that happened to be directed by someone that many considers the GOAT and not the GOAT himself, so I’ll leave it at that and give the man his well-deserved flowers.
What’s interesting about Shuttler Island is that I can understand why some people forget that Scorsese directed this gem of a suspense thriller. It’s an interesting relationship because people acknowledge that it’s one of the best suspense thrillers in the genre and makes many lists of the greatest twists of all time as well but all that aside, the fact that one of the greatest directors every to grace cinema seems to be an after thought and to be honest, I don’t hate that notion. I think it’s actually great that the movie itself is removed from what Scorsese is known for best, which his rise and fall movies usually dealing with gangsters or crooked people that when you start the talks about him also directing one of the greatest suspense thrillers of all time, people tend to scratch their heads. The reason why that’s a neat thing is because we can talk about the movie freely, without relying on the popularity of the director itself, in a way, the film comes to life being part of a sub-genre that rarely gets praise from both horror freaks such as myself and the film buffs who more often than not, scoff at the genre as a whole.
Suspense thrillers are always the middle of the Venn diagram between the freaks and the snobs when it comes to the horror genre, and it may have to do with the gray area between the supernatural and the psychological so that it’s still real but still plays with the idea of the paranormal. Shutter Island does an incredible job of taking the audience through a journey with the character that you invest in because it’s someone searching for the truth, a hero that the people can cheer for, even at the scary moments where his sanity begins to be questioned. Leonardo DiCaprio (another GOAT) gives a career-defining performance as a US Marshall pursuing the truth and his sheer intensity can only be matched by his crippling vulnerability towards his past which gives the audience someone to both admire but also want to nurture. You genuinely feel for this character because he has the best of intentions but as he digs further into the truth, you begin to start feeling an uneasiness about the story that is gradually unfolding before the audiences’ eyes.
One can make the argument that this is a solid ensemble piece with performances from Mark Ruffalo and Sir Ben Kingsley laying the foundations in what would be a disturbing third act and from Michelle Williams who holds the key to DiCaprio’s sanity throughout the case. These performances from these actors felt more like puzzle pieces throughout the movie, where when one layer is peeled away, your viewpoint on the characters also change and they move around with the story so by the time you reach the climax, your viewpoint of them may change (not trying to give the farm away here but damn good performances!). Every character is firing on all cylinders when it comes to their performances because each character seems to be a key to unlocking the mystery of the story so the more intense their performance are, whether they be aggressive or controlled, they seem to have purpose to the overall story and that lends itself to the audience being engaged throughout the flick.
The overlying dark tone of the movie revolves around those who both reside and work in a mental asylum in which the main character is trying to investigate. What makes this flick such an effective suspense thriller is you as the audience is always reacting the delicate line between the sinister rather than the psychological. The inmates of the asylum can either be victims or the perpetrators for the mystery that drives this story and with that uncertainty comes some great moments of making the audience uneasy and therefore, more likely to react to suspense.
Keeping this spoiler free but I don’t think there’s anything wrong with saying that the ending leaves you in a somber mood and makes you want to watch the flick again to see if there are any clues that could have lead to the ending and to me, that’s the sign of movie that earned the mental and emotional investment from the audience….also, Scorsese RULES!
Life is FAR more interesting when we take interest in things that scare us.