Film Review: Shutter Island (2010)

Shutter Island is a film that's a bit hard to digest. It seems like all the elements are there to result in a standout film, but somehow it falls just short of greatness.

Teddy Daniels is a federal marshal, investigating the disappearance of a patient at Ashecliffe Hospital on Shutter Island. He is teamed up with a new partner, Chuck Aule, to find out how Rachel Solando managed to get out of a locked cell, sneak past a cavalcade of guards and staff, and get away on the island filled with natural dangers. Nothing seems to add up for the marshals as the staff seems to be hiding secrets about the practices at the notorious hospital for the criminally insane.

As Teddy Daniels, Leonardo DiCaprio does a good job of navigating through a very dense, stylish thriller. His character is constantly battling with hallucinations caused by the tragic death of his wife, Dolores, and it becomes increasingly difficult for his character and the viewer to make sense of what is going on. Mark Ruffalo is a bit flat as his new partner, but the screenplay justifies the performance to the detriment of the film. If Chuck Aule is Teddy Daniels' sidekick, then Mark Ruffalo has to allow all the power in the onscreen relationship to default to Leonardo DiCaprio.

The true joy of the film is in the solid work from the supporting cast. Michelle Williams is haunting as Dolores. Serving as Teddy's voice of reason in a descent through madness, Williams pulls off subtle shifts in line delivery to cast doubt on what's really happening in the film. Patricia Clarkson, Jackie Earle Haley, and Emily Mortimer do excellent work in single scene performances that standout as some of the best moments in the film. Ben Kingsley and Max von Sydow, as the doctors in charge of the facility, are appropriately stately and secretive. The problems with the film lie not in the cast, but in the direction.

Martin Scorsese tipped his hand a bit too much towards setting up somewhat predictable twists that happen sporadically throughout the film. In justifying what will happen later, the impact of the narrative in the moment is dampened. There are great and disturbing flourishes, such as Teddy Daniels interrogating a patient while scribbling furiously on a notepad to get him to break, but they are often lost in the maze that is Shutter Island. I will give him credit for one brilliant decision in this film. Some have argued that the final twist is too predictable and ruins the impact of the film. I would argue that Scorsese has directed a film where there are two concurrent, completely justifiable courses of actions that both add up as the right answer. It is impossible to clarify this statement further without spoiling the film. I suggest keeping an open mind while viewing the film and weighing the evidence presented. It's the type of case that could easily stalemate a jury.

The design of the film is strong. From the opening sequence on a boat (with questionable CGI-enhanced waves) to the landscaping of the grounds, the sets are just a bit off from being beautiful. There are details just a bit too strange to fit into preconceived notions of what anything should look like. Especially well done are the hallucination and dream sequences. It's amazing to me that a film that had me groaning at very poor looking water could leave me breathless with visions of burning buildings, bleeding victims, and disintegrating women.

I would suggest it is worth watching Shutter Island just to experience a very unique thriller. The film refuses to offer easy answers as to why events happen, only justifications for how they could have occurred. You might be able to predict the twist, but you won't be able to predict the entire path of the film. It's worth muddling through some of the lesser moments to hit brilliant scenes scattered throughout the film.