Shutter Island
An outstanding performance by a leading man who displays just the right balance of hardman Bostonian cop and raw, gut-wrenching emotion.
Like most film fans, the release of a new Martin Scorsese film is something hotly anticipated; with Shutter Island, anticipation on my part was at a supreme high. Based on a book by Dennis Lehane (author of the harrowing Mystic River and Gone Baby Gone) and with a cast so stellar they can practically orbit the planet, this was the film I felt sure would have 'Oscar frontrunner' tattooed on its bleak and moody forehead. So I anticipated its release, then I anticipated some more as Paramount pushed back the release date from October 2009 to February (in the US) 2010, thus taking the film out of Oscar contention. Alarm bells rang in my cynical mind - could the inspired teaming of Scorsese and DiCaprio have delivered a dud? My brain should not have had such mutinous thoughts. Trust in this sublime partnership of director and muse, for they have delivered an astounding piece of celluloid pulp fiction.
We begin in 1954 aboard a ferry bound for the mysterious Shutter Island, which houses the fortress-like Ashecliffe Hospital, an asylum for the criminally insane. On board are U.S. Marshal Teddy Daniels (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his new partner Chuck (Mark Ruffalo, displaying that easy going everyman charm that has become his calling card). Investigating the disappearance of dangerous patient Rachel Solando (Emily Mortimer) it soon becomes apparent that Teddy has a secret agenda of his own.
From the outset, Shutter Island is steeped in menace. Setting the action during the Cold War and the McCarthy era is a masterstroke amping up the already prevalent paranoia. An ominous sense of foreboding descends as we and our erstwhile heroes set foot on the island; the score here is dramatic and Cape Fear–esque - I half expected a tattooed Robert De Niro to emerge from underneath a car. As it is, Scorsese doesn't need a bogeyman to scare us witless here - the island itself is frightening enough. On the surface its trimmed hedges, neatly mowed lawns and bright flowers display a falsity of domesticity, the gardens tended by violent, shackled patients, the forgotten psychopaths of America. High praise must go to director of photography Robert Richardson and production designer Dante Ferretti, who have a field day here. Richardson's gorgeous shots of dark skies serve as a vital backdrop to the action, giving a noir feel to proceedings, while Ferretti's outdone himself with the design of the hospital; one ward a terrifying maze that recalls the hellish corridors of video game Silent Hill.
DiCaprio gives, in my opinion, the performance of his career. He's never been better, playing a grief-stricken widower determined to unearth the mysteries of the island. Besieged by disturbing and vivid dreams, he is a man on the edge and is utterly convincing as his confidence and psyche come under attack. In an enlightening scene towards the end of the film he verily rips out your heart and gives it a good kicking. In fact there are so many great performances here, not least by Ben Kingsley who appears to be having enormous fun as the ambiguous Dr Cawley, and Jackie Earle Haley in a small but wholly essential role.
Shutter Island is masterfully handled by Scorsese, awarded with an outstanding performance by a leading man who displays just the right balance of hardman Bostonian cop and raw, gut-wrenching emotion. Spooky, atmospheric and more than a little mind-bending, it will more than satisfy lovers of suspense.
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