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Shutter Island Movie Review

Shutter Island is a 2010 psychological thriller film directed by Martin Scorsese and starring Leonardo DiCaprio. It’s one of the director’s most underrated efforts.

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“Which would be worse –

to live as a monster, or to die as a good man?“

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Teddy and Chuck, two US marshals, are sent to an asylum on a remote island in order to investigate the disappearance of a patient, where Teddy uncovers a shocking truth about the place. This movie was quite a big hit at the box office when it was released and it got solid reviews, but it rarely gets mentioned when people talk about Scorsese’s work, which is a shame as it’s one of his better movies and certainly one of his most engaging.

Some called this film psychological horror, some called it neo-noir while others would categorize it as a detective mystery. As for myself, I would firmly put it in the psychological thriller category as the movie isn’t really scary, but more thrilling and concerned with the protagonist’s psyche. But yes, the noirish atmosphere and Hitchcock influences are evident, making for a classical-feeling movie that pays homage to Hollywood’s past while still feeling fresh and modern.

This is one of those films where the opening and the ending take the cake as the most memorable parts while the middle section is somewhat forgettable. The beginning instantly hooked me in. As they arrived to this spooky place and the menacing score was following them, I was quite intrigued. I was so riveted, in fact, that I found the rest of the film pale in comparison. The movie lost a bit of its engagement later down the line as it became repetitious and it was in serious need of more thrills and memorable plot points.

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But then Scorsese capped the story with a twist ending that wasn’t just unforgettable, but also genuinely fantastic and thoroughly believable. It made sense within the context of the story and particularly because we had enough hints about the protagonist’s damaged psyche before this scene. The script is undoubtedly phenomenal and effective at capturing our fears of mental asylums and going crazy ourselves. I just wished that it had more to say about psychology as this is most definitely more a pulpy than serious genre film for better and for worse.

Leonardo DiCaprio was well cast in the role that seemed somewhat similar to his ‘Aviator’ turn. He was excellent in both the damaged and the seemingly normal modes that he got to play. Mark Ruffalo was very good in a smaller, but important role. Others all got fleeting roles, but Ben Kingsley stole the movie as this suitably sinister psychiatrist working at this hospital. His scenes were among the most effective in the film.

Shutter Island is a technical achievement. The cinematography by Robert Richardson is just fantastic with the longer takes and crane shots being particularly impressive. The production design is fabulous, the attention to detail mesmerizing and the film’s dreary palette fit the subject at hand deftly. It’s a very cinematic movie that is also very well directed and wonderfully scored. I just wished for a somewhat brisker pace and more twists and turns as this type of movie really needed more energy in its execution. The flashbacks were also too overwhelming.

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