Sometimes it pays to tell a little white lie. In the case of “Shutter Island,” it pays the handsome sum of $40.2 million on opening weekend. If you watched the trailer to the latest Martin Scorsese/Leonardo DiCaprio vehicle, you may have shuddered at what appeared to be a horror film, an uncharacteristic genre for the legendary director. In fact, this shrewd advertising ploy to pull in some of the lucrative horror crowd disguises this mesmerizing psychological thriller that falls along the same lines as Scorsese’s “Taxi Driver” and “Cape Fear.”
Truth be told, while it would have been intriguing to see Scorsese (“The Departed”) make a move into uncharted film territory, sticking with what he knows best was the better move. When it comes to making crucial filmmaking elements mesh perfectly, Scorsese is a cinematic genius. Whether its camera angles, cinematography, lighting or even sound, the veteran director knows how to pull everything together into a cohesive piece, with each component enhancing the next.
Nowhere is this more important than when directing a thriller. For this genre to work, every devious twist and turn of the plot must go hand in hand with the film’s visual elements. If the light changes too soon or the music picks up too early, the suspenseful payoff that keeps audiences on the edge of their seats is wasted.
In “Shutter Island,” matches burn out, bloodcurdling screams rip through the silence and cameras jolt like clockwork, keeping the film tightly clenched together with riveting tension. For this reason, the film excels at all levels from a visual standpoint. Unfortunately, the screenplay doesn’t always hold up to these high standards.
Set in 1954, the film takes place on an island off the Massachusetts coast that houses a mental hospital for the criminally insane. Teddy Daniels (DiCaprio, “Revolutionary Road”) and Chuck Aule (Mark Ruffalo, “Where the Wild Things Are”) are two U.S. marshals sent to the island to investigate the disappearance of one of the hospital’s patients. Yet, from day one something about the island just doesn’t seem right as Daniels and Aule begin to uncover the sinister mysteries of the island and its inhabitants.
Although the film is adapted from the 2003 bestselling novel of the same name by Dennis Lehane, screenwriter Laeta Kalogridis has a difficult time fully fleshing out the screenplay. She has no trouble keeping the film moving with its assortment of twists and deceptions, but the intermediary scenes often lack the development needed to give the thrills their full impact, with the exception of the disconcerting nightmare sequences Daniels experiences as a result of the hallucinogenic drugs he unwillingly takes.
However, Kalogridis’ inability to fully develop characters and plotlines should come as no surprise to those unfortunate enough to see “Pathfinder” or “Alexander,” her only two major screenwriting credits.
However, Kalogridis comes through in the end. Although the film’s ultimate twist is not entirely startling and partially predictable, it’s still just as enthralling. Additionally, after the truly disturbing final revelation is made — one that will certainly leave audiences a bit unsettled — Kalogridis throws in the chilling one-line kicker that perfectly sums up the film’s theme: “Is it better to live as a monster or die as a good man?”
Keeping to his namesake as one of today’s most consistent actors, DiCaprio gives an all-around solid performance as Daniels. Sure, it’s not one of his best roles, but, hell, he has created some pretty still competition for himself. He still portrays his character’s transformation with absolute conviction, saving the best for the film’s frightening, all too telling final scenes.
DiCaprio does receive some stellar backup from the film’s supporting cast. Ruffalo and Michelle Williams (“Synecdoche, New York”), who plays Daniels’ wife, are fantastic, but it’s Ben Kingsley (“The Love Guru”) who takes the cinematic cake as the sly, slightly villainous chief psychiatrist and hospital administrator.
While it may not quite be worth the wait that came with Paramount’s decision to push the film from an October to a February release, “Shutter Island” is a visually captivating thriller with plenty of psychotic twists and turns leading up to an excellent disturbing end. While it may not garner the same kind of Oscar nominations his last two films did, Scorsese’s latest film is on its way to being one of his most commercially successful and is certainly an island worth visiting.
3 1/2 stars out of 5.
