SHUTTER ISLAND (includes trailer)
April 7th 2010 00:35
“This place makes me wonder, which is worse? To live your life as a monster, or to die as a decent man” ~ Teddy Daniels
Every time I go to see a film by Martin Scorsese, even if it’s a less accomplished work, I still feel like I’ve had a lesson in film making. Scorsese continues to handle endlessly daring variations on story form and style, that no matter what the result is, make for a rich viewing experience. This case may be so for Shutter Island, which is possibly not his best film evidently, but is so adventurous in it’s approach that it’s sometimes difficult to tell where it’s faults end and it’s strengths begin.
Shutter Island is a cold war era film set on an island used as a prison for the criminally insane. FBI agent Teddy Daniels is investigating the case of a mental patient who has vanished into thin air from the high security mental penitentiary built on the island. Daniels has taken on this case specifically with his own agenda in mind and discovers that the island might be used as a base for the Americans to conduct experiments on mental patients. Shutter Island sets it’s tone in glorious 1950’s Noir fashion, taking a page straight out of the ‘Jacques Tourneur’ playbook. The skyline is painted with Technicolor doom, thanks to the inventive cinematography of Robert Richardson (JFK, Kill Bill). The scene is set for a stormy night against the gothic backdrop created by legendary Production Designer Dante Ferretti (Salò, Sweeney Todd, Hamlet), and the actors are in suit with 1940’s trench coats and tilted Fedoras along with the frightening sounds of the National Polish Radio Orchestra – you’re being prepared for a fear provoking tale .
Shutter Island resembles a nightmare with in a nightmare, thick with atmosphere as the walls breath and the island itself come to life. Leonardo DiCaprio does a worthy job of playing the increasingly unhinged FBI agent Teddy Daniels. Ben Kingsly is a joy to watch as the institutes head doctor, he has a smug quality to him, like he knows a joke about you and he’s not telling. The cast also includes Max Von Sydow (The Exorcist), Emily Mortimer (Lars And The Real Girl) and Patricia Clarkson (The Station Agent). The two weak links in the cast are Mark Ruffalo (Blindness), who isn’t bad but unfortunately suffers from playing a thinly drawn character and Michelle Williams (Brokeback Mountain).
Shutter Island kicks things off to a promising start but suffers from three serious flaws that come dangerously close to derailing the whole film more than a couple of times.
The film begins, it sucks you in, with each step it takes you beg it to take another. It’s a juicy set up to say the least. The film then takes extended detours into dream sequences, which unfortunately kill all the tension which has developed so far. When Teddy Daniels wakes up you no longer feel invested in the film. This happens so many times, there is a constant push and pull between re-establishing dramatic tension and flights into daydreams, nightmares and hallucinations that it can be quite off putting for a viewer trying to embrace the film. The second problem with Shutter Island is that it’s heavy handed subtext keeps trying to make statements on prophets of doom and hydrogen bombs, that it results in moments that seem forced and out of place with the wonderful texture of many of the film’s scenes. Then finally, there is the twist at the end that even after seeing the film twice I found improbable and hard to swallow.
Having said this, Shutter Island, with all it’s problems, is still better than most of the films playing currently. It has a lot going for it and you have to admire the cast and film maker's gusto in going for a film that was clearly a risk to begin with. There are enough positive touches throughout to stabilise the film and a lot of viewing rewards to enjoy along the way. It constantly remains an intriguing maze to get lost in, with an endless number of fantastic scenes that work and play with you on all kinds of levels. If you’ve seen Shutter Island already, I’d recommend a second viewing to allow the film to come into focus that little bit more. There are new treasures to be found when you aren’t trying to handle it’s long-winded exposition.
Someone is missing
Every time I go to see a film by Martin Scorsese, even if it’s a less accomplished work, I still feel like I’ve had a lesson in film making. Scorsese continues to handle endlessly daring variations on story form and style, that no matter what the result is, make for a rich viewing experience. This case may be so for Shutter Island, which is possibly not his best film evidently, but is so adventurous in it’s approach that it’s sometimes difficult to tell where it’s faults end and it’s strengths begin.
Shutter Island is a cold war era film set on an island used as a prison for the criminally insane. FBI agent Teddy Daniels is investigating the case of a mental patient who has vanished into thin air from the high security mental penitentiary built on the island. Daniels has taken on this case specifically with his own agenda in mind and discovers that the island might be used as a base for the Americans to conduct experiments on mental patients. Shutter Island sets it’s tone in glorious 1950’s Noir fashion, taking a page straight out of the ‘Jacques Tourneur’ playbook. The skyline is painted with Technicolor doom, thanks to the inventive cinematography of Robert Richardson (JFK, Kill Bill). The scene is set for a stormy night against the gothic backdrop created by legendary Production Designer Dante Ferretti (Salò, Sweeney Todd, Hamlet), and the actors are in suit with 1940’s trench coats and tilted Fedoras along with the frightening sounds of the National Polish Radio Orchestra – you’re being prepared for a fear provoking tale .
Cinematographer Robert Richardson captures the mood
Shutter Island resembles a nightmare with in a nightmare, thick with atmosphere as the walls breath and the island itself come to life. Leonardo DiCaprio does a worthy job of playing the increasingly unhinged FBI agent Teddy Daniels. Ben Kingsly is a joy to watch as the institutes head doctor, he has a smug quality to him, like he knows a joke about you and he’s not telling. The cast also includes Max Von Sydow (The Exorcist), Emily Mortimer (Lars And The Real Girl) and Patricia Clarkson (The Station Agent). The two weak links in the cast are Mark Ruffalo (Blindness), who isn’t bad but unfortunately suffers from playing a thinly drawn character and Michelle Williams (Brokeback Mountain).
Shutter Island kicks things off to a promising start but suffers from three serious flaws that come dangerously close to derailing the whole film more than a couple of times.
The film begins, it sucks you in, with each step it takes you beg it to take another. It’s a juicy set up to say the least. The film then takes extended detours into dream sequences, which unfortunately kill all the tension which has developed so far. When Teddy Daniels wakes up you no longer feel invested in the film. This happens so many times, there is a constant push and pull between re-establishing dramatic tension and flights into daydreams, nightmares and hallucinations that it can be quite off putting for a viewer trying to embrace the film. The second problem with Shutter Island is that it’s heavy handed subtext keeps trying to make statements on prophets of doom and hydrogen bombs, that it results in moments that seem forced and out of place with the wonderful texture of many of the film’s scenes. Then finally, there is the twist at the end that even after seeing the film twice I found improbable and hard to swallow.
Shutter Island takes it's characters to the edge
Having said this, Shutter Island, with all it’s problems, is still better than most of the films playing currently. It has a lot going for it and you have to admire the cast and film maker's gusto in going for a film that was clearly a risk to begin with. There are enough positive touches throughout to stabilise the film and a lot of viewing rewards to enjoy along the way. It constantly remains an intriguing maze to get lost in, with an endless number of fantastic scenes that work and play with you on all kinds of levels. If you’ve seen Shutter Island already, I’d recommend a second viewing to allow the film to come into focus that little bit more. There are new treasures to be found when you aren’t trying to handle it’s long-winded exposition.
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Comment by JohnDoe
Film & TV on DVD
Just wrote my own review for this today and it seems we share much the same opinion. Not that its a surprise
The dark atmosphere of the film is its major strength. I was actually impressed with the dream sequences for their use in character development and also found they added to the mood of confusion. Visually they were so rich in detail and metaphor.
Comment by ShaunK
Screen Adventure
gonna read your review now - thanks for commenting.