“Scor-hazy”
The highly-anticipated and oft-delayed release of Martin Scorsese’s latest film, following in the footsteps of Oscar-winner “The Departed” of 2006, couldn’t come too quickly for this reviewer. Scorsese’s work is often described as being a nearly perfect fusion of cinematographic beauty and gripping narrative, citing many to herald him as one of, if not the greatest filmmaker of his generation. So it’s understandable that the millions of people who will see this film (and rest assured, they should) will be expecting cinematic brilliance. Unfortunately, Scorsese doesn’t quite deliver with Shutter Island. The psychological thriller follows U.S. Marshal Teddy Daniels (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his partner Chuck Aule (Mark Ruffalo) as they investigate the disappearance of a female patient from the Ashecliffe Mental Facility for the Criminally Insane on Shutter Island, nestled just beyond the horizon from the bay of Boston, run by the illusive, gentlemanly yet darkly sinister Dr. Cawley (Ben Kingsley) and medicine chief Dr. Naehring (Max von Sydow), set against the backdrop of the apocalyptic devastation of the 1954 Massachusetts hurricane. Based on the Dennis Lehane novel, and adapted by Laeta Kalogridis, the film reveals itself to be quite different to how it may be perceived going in by the audience. What could be seen from the outset as a 21st century “whodunnit” conspiracy mystery is soon unveiled as being a movie that is by no means light viewing. Daniels is revealed immediately to be a psychologically damaged person in his own right, stemming from his experiences during the liberation of a concentration camp and the death of his wife Dolores (Michelle Williams).
The cast is exceptional, and the story itself is certainly gripping, as is the developing complexity of Daniels, speaking highly of Scorsese’s tremendous ability to extract the most out of his characters and, therefore, his actors. DiCaprio’s role is notably strong, as is the brief appearance of Jackie Earle Haley (Arguably best known for his role as Rorschach in Watchmen). The potential of the sum of the parts of Shutter Island is sadly underscored, however, by a number of nagging issues. Every now and again, notably in the opening scenes, the audience is treated to a five minute run of backstory-explaining dialogue which doesn’t flow, but rather staggers quite unnaturally, frankly smacking of “Oh hai, exposition!”, while being overladen with numerous deus ex machina moments. Furthermore, the development of the story is festooned with clichés, yet given the strength of the direction coupled with at times astonishing visual majesty (Scorsese’s use of stairways is especially commendable), this can be forgiven, as can the relatively predictable story-arc. Regarding the cinematography, much like the remainder of the film, it is let down by comparatively lackluster editing. The bellowing score echoes that of There Will Be Blood in its jarring, uncomfortable exclamations that litter the opening scenes and sets you up for an altogether sinister, psychologically fraught experience.
While somewhat flawed in its attempt to balance both the depth of the story with its celluloidal execution, Shutter Island is certainly one of the strongest films of the moment; engaging, emotionally charged and worth multiple viewings, if nothing else but to untangle the weaving narrative. While it doesn’t rank amongst Scorsese’s best work, it definitely stands out as one of the strongest films of the year so far. Yet one can’t help thinking it could have been just that little bit better.
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