Shutter Island Movie Blurb by Shale February 19, 2010 This would not have been my usual movie fare; after all I have yet to see the romcom, Valentine's Day from last week. But it looked good in the trailers, a well made suspense movie directed by Martin Scorsese, with Leonardo DiCaprio and Ben Kingsley. The story is of US Marshal, Teddy Daniels (DiCaprio) and his new partner Chuck Aule (Mark Ruffalo) taking a ferry to Shutter Island a fortress for the criminally insane. They are going to investigate the disappearance of a patient from this inescapable place. It is 1954 and there are all sorts of dark intrigues from the House Un-American Activities Committee to drug and brain experiments on the patients to find a way to control the mind, removing emotion and remorse for its military implications. The mid fifties was a scary, paranoid time with everyone suspected of some secrets. Our two agents are met with upfront hostility from the guards when they get to the island, and they know the head psychiatrist, Dr. Crawley (Kingsley) is not being upfront with them. What Are You Hiding Doctor? Also, Marshal Daniels has a troubled past as revealed in flashbacks. He was a US soldier in the liberation of Dachau Concentration Camp in WWII, where brutality was met with brutality. He has dreams where he communicates with his wife (Michelle Williams) who died in an arson set fire. Oh, and Daniels had a bad headache where Dr. Crawley gives him an "aspirin." As if this setup wasn't enough for a suspense movie - IT WAS A DARK AND STORMY NIGHT.* Yep, thru much of the movie there is a hurricane threatening the island - with the possibility of the electric security system shutting down. It Could Be Worse - It Could Be Raining After our two agents get their suits soaked they have to spend much of their time running down the few leads wearing orderly whites. Daniels suspects the brain experiments are being done in the old lighthouse, which is isolated on an adjacent islet. (Remember, this was 1954 - Thorazine (chlorpromazine) was the first breakthru psychoactive drug that emptied a lot of mental institutions while prefrontal lobotomies were still a treatment option) So, you see the kind of movie this is. Shades of The Magus (1968) mixed with Hitchcock. I really enjoyed it, but that is me, a guy with memories of the period, including relatives who went to psych hospitals and got electroshock treatment. Also I was an "orderly" in a mental hospital in the '70s with my own set of scary tales to tell. ________________________ * I'm sure you have heard "It was a dark and stormy night" before, usually indicating an overly dramatic style of writing. Of course it was - it comes from Victorian England. "It was a dark and stormy night; the rain fell in torrents, except at occasional intervals, when it was checked by a violent gust of wind which swept up the streets ... rattling along the housetops, and fiercely agitating the scanty flame of the lamps that struggled against the darkness." Edward-Bulwer Lytton - 1830
I loved it. It was a brilliant movie. So much better than I had anticipated. I had to keep telling myself, towards the end, "Don't cry. Don't cry. DO NOT CRY." No one wants to see all that running mascara and eyeliner.
My review I wrote for 8up... Shutter Island - 9.5/10 - You know you have a great director when even if you have the slightest inkling about how a film may play out, your jaw is left on the ground when the film ends. Nothing is certain in Shutter Island however, like any great film there could be a major debate on what REALLY is going on here. Every seat in the theater on opening night in Miami Beach was filled, unfortunately my perfect seat I stood in line so early to get was squandered when a group of loud under developed teenagers sat directly behind me... one attention starved fat girl in particular loudly laughed inappropriately, asked irrelevant questions even louder, screamed, made strange noises for no reason along with her other friends ,and sometimes even kicked the back of my seat... At the end of the film she exclaimed 'That was the stupidest movie I ever seen!"... As she turned to walk away out with her friends I heaved what was left on my large Sprite at her massiveness and looked away quickly. Several people saw me do it, but no one gave her a clue as to who had drenched her with the soda, because obviously they all thought she deserved it. Anyway, the point of me including that story within the review of the film is that even though I was literally tortured the entire film by unruly kids I still was able to become totally immersed in the film, mesmerized by every shot, hanging on to every clue, and immensely enjoying the throwback 'Hitchcock-ian' feel of the film. Leonardo DiCaprio continues to prove he is one of the greatest actors of the century, despite the hate that most of us harbor toward anyone who was ever on the cover of 'Teen Beat' like magazines for more than 10 issues in a row. Michelle Williams is also closer and closer with each film to a similar title. I believe that the Oscar nominations that both of these fine actors have received will soon turn into awards... and like Daniel Day Lewis and Meryl Streep they will win again and again and again. Martin Scorsese of course has already achieved his status in the hall of fame and he proves once again with Shutter Island just exactly why. With all the crap that has come out so far in 2010, this is by far the best film yet and I'm sure will hold the spot in my favorite films of the year all the way through December. I will see this film again... not only because I simply want another theater viewing due to the fact it was so spectacular, but I also need a viewing without all the distractions... maybe then it will be persuade me to award it that other half a point its missing to becoming a perfect film.
You've really got my interest on that note... would love to hear some strange stories on the subject!
Actually, this movie made me jump ahead on my chronicle of work experience to write about my psych hospital stories. Just posted them here: http://www.hipforums.com/newforums/showthread.php?p=6246894#post6246894
Yeah, I'll definitely be checking that thread out. This is a subject that for some odd reason, holds a lot of interest for me.
I thought it could've been better, I don't think Scorsese was right for this, it needed someone like Shyamalan. I also thought it was weak with the story telling, too many convenient queues in the movie to trick the audience, rather than relying on the actual story itself to fool you. It's in the same genre as the 6th sense, and it just doesn't compare to it, it lacked the subtlety, and I thought Mark Ruffalo was miscast (you don't use someone like that for a throwaway role, he just made it obvious there was going to be some sought of turn around later).
I really want to see it but mostly for the local interest since it was filmed south of here in Massachusetts where I grew up Hotwater
I really enjoyed this movie.. I went to see it twice, two different theatres. Second time on cheap night. Both times the people behind us ( bf and I ) were dumbfounded. Saying things like " you'd have to have an IQ of 3000 to understand that movie" and calling it stupid or retarded out of confusion. I really thought the ending was straight forward and was just wondering if it was a bad coincidence, or if anyone else shared a similar experience.
