A Review of Shutter Island

7.9
7.9/10
Runtime
2h 18min
Release date
19 February 2010
Genre
Mystery
A Review of Shutter Island
U.S. Marshal Teddy Daniels finds himself on the case of murderer on the loose after escaping from a hospital for the criminally insane.
A mystery-solving masterpiece
Spoilers ahead!

Shutter Island is a 2010 production from Phoenix Pictures, Sikelia Productions and Appian Way Productions. The movie is directed by Martin Scorsese with the script written by Laeta Kalogridis, who based it on Dennis Lehane’s novel of the same name. The movie stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo, Ben Kingsley, Max von Sydow, Michelle Williams, Emily Mortimer and Patricia Clarkson. The movie scores an excellent 8.2/10 on IMDb, placing it in the top 250 movies on the site. From the critics on Metacritic, the film received a 63 Metascore.

The Story

The movie jumps right into it. No introduction or prologue of any kind, we get right into the action: two U.S. Marshals need to find an escaped murderer on an island. I liked this approach as it gets you, the viewer, invested in the film right from the start. Besides, at first glance, the story as it is presented seems a good one. We are shown the prison and its prisoners as we get immediately transported into this world.

An important part of the story is Teddy Daniels flashbacks/dreams. It is a unique and interesting way to tell us more about the character and unlike anything I’ve seen before. Because we didn’t get that introduction, this is a great way of telling us more. On top of that, the content of these dreams is brilliantly thought out. At first, they don’t make much sense and it’s hard to see the link between these dreams and the actual story. However, as time progresses and we get deeper and deeper into it, you unravel the true meaning behind all of the dreams.

Probably the most captivating part of the story: the plot twist. Everything you know gets turned upside down. I became unsure of everything I just watched. Were they still tricking him into becoming insane or was this the truth? For it came out of nowhere as it got me shocked for a few good minutes. And as you think about, the wars, the killing, the deaths, of course, Teddy or rather Laeddis, was the true patient all along. The dreams now made sense as we learn of this extremely elaborate plot, set up by Dr Cawley

In the end, Cawley’s plan worked and Leaddis finally threw away this thought up persona. But he still couldn’t live with himself so he made them think it didn’t work. Truly amazing.

The Character

You almost can’t talk about a character because most of them end up playing just a role in Cawley’s plans. Of course, Teddy/Leaddis is an amazing character with a rich backstory. Other than him, there aren’t any major characters who end up playing a role as themselves. We’re made to believe that Chuck is a somewhat important character but in my eyes, he barely plays a role in most of the story, with the reveal of his true character being probably his best moment in the film.

The Production

This is the field where this movie shines. Scorsese made a true directorial masterpiece. The atmosphere he captured on camera on the island is amazing. The darkness of such a place was amazingly portrayed with stuff like the hurricane and the prisoner’s looks.

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