Film Review: SHUTTER ISLAND

I'm a huge Martin Scorsese fan not because he directed the excellent films GOODFELLAS and TAXI DRIVER and RAGING BULL but because he directed THE AGE OF INNOCENCE, KUNDUN, BRINGING OUT THE DEAD, THE AVIATOR, and especially CAPR FEAR. Scorsese has a knack for being able to tell a multitude of different types of stories and not sacrifice the story in the service of his own personal style. There are very few filmmakers able to do this consistently (Clint Eastwood, Sydney Pollack, Ridley Scott, and Sidney Lumet are just a few of the most recognizable ones). Scorsese's newest film SHUTTER ISLAND is a suspenseful thriller based on the bestselling novel by Dennis Lehane and stars Scorsese's go-to actor Leonardo DiCaprio as well as Ben Kingsley, Mark Rufallo, Max Von Sydow, and Michelle Williams, to name just a few.

SHUTTER ISLAND takes place just after WWII and is the story of two detectives sent to a mental institution to investigate the disappearance of one of the patients. The institution is on an isolated island and there doesn't seem to be any way for the inmate to have gotten off the island. As a storm approaches the island, time begins to run out for the two detectives between hospital personal who all seem to be hiding something and one of the detectives who seems to be struggling with personal issues which include his role in a German soldier massacre during the war and the death of his wife at the hands of a pyromaniac.

The film may seem to have a straight forward story but like Lehane's complex novel the film is a tour de force mystery thriller with more twists and turns than imaginable. Having read the graphic novel prior to seeing the film I was struck by how well the story translates to the screen (which is always a fear by fans of the novel) especially since it's been a while since I read the original novel. The film is very suspenseful and the mystery is never "lost in translation" which can happen with mystery films if the villain is revealed too early in the story.

Like CAPE FEAR, Scorsese lays down a complex and personal journey not only for the main character but several other characters whose stories intertwine with the main one. This is an excellent example of how a mystery should unfold so that it constantly keeps the audience guessing from beginning to end. This film shows that Scorsese can still tell a suspenseful and at times terrifying tale and let's just hope that the wait between these types of films aren't so long.