Martin Scorsese's Shutter Island

Leonardo DiCaprio stars in Martin Scorsese's Shutter Island

When Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo was released in 1958, it received mixed reviews and only did moderately well at the box office.  Right now Martin Scorsese’s Shutter Island is receiving mixed reviews and while unlike Vertigo it will fair pretty well at the box office. Today, Vertigo is regarded as one of the greatest films ever made. Interestingly enough, Shutter Island is a nod to that of the noir genre and the suspense/thriller films of the 1950’s.

Don’t let the trailer for this movie misguide you, there’s a genius to this film that will require multiple viewings. There is no ah-ha moment in this film with a massive twist, as a viewer your mind will constantly be drawing to different paths that you think the film could take. You’re not quite sure of things in this film but this is merely to replicate the human psyche of the main character, Teddy Daniels played by Leonardo DiCaprio (Titanic, The Departed). At first viewing this will be a film that’s mostly guided by the plot but upon multiple viewings will become a fascinating character study of the human psyche.

The film even among top critics isn’t receiving the full scores that it deserves, a lot of the reasons behind it are that many people believe that this film won’t hold the test of time and isn’t a masterpiece in comparison to Scorsese’s other films. The film features some of the best acting Leonardo DiCaprio has ever done as we see him suffer from through hallucinations and dark dreams. While some people don’t think this is up to the level that Scorsese is capable of, it is Scorsese at his best. Scorsese is reaching outside of his comfort zone with Shutter Island and doing something completely outside of his norm by plunging himself into a full on thriller/noir film.

The visuals in this film are simply breathtaking and a combination of the genius from director Martin Scorsese and cinematographer Robert Richardson. The cinematography is quite interesting being a nod to the suspense films of the 1950’s. There’s one particular scene between Daniels and the island’s Warden played by Ted Levine (TV Series Monk) that seemed so reminiscent to that of a Hitchcock film.  The film also matches another Hitchcock aspect to that of Vertigo, in that every step of the journey Daniels has a fear of heights. This film doesn’t cheaply replicate the look and feel of the 1950’s; its visuals are genius in every sense.

As you look to other reviews and look at Shutter Island’s score on MetaCritic or Rotten Tomatoes, don’t let the negative reviews turn you away. This is Martin Scorsese and he is one of the greatest living directors today, this film is not a miss by any means. Those who don’t enjoy this film simply don’t truly understand the genius behind it. 

My score- 5/5