Film adaptation of the psychological crime novel by Dennis Lehane, directed by Martin Scorsese and starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo and Ben Kingsley. Federal Marshals Teddy Daniels (DiCaprio) and Chuck Aule (Ruffalo) are sent to Shutter Island, home to a psychiatric hospital for the criminally insane. There, they must investigate the disappearance of multiple murderer Rachel Solando (Emily Mortimer), who appears to have simply vanished from the institution. It soon becomes apparent, however, that no one on the island is telling the truth, and as Daniels becomes more embroiled in the sinister goings on, he begins to question everything, even his own sanity...
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Leonardo DiCaprio and Martin Scorsese reteam once again in this adaptation of Dennis Lehane's novel, in what is now their ...
Leonardo DiCaprio and Martin Scorsese reteam once again in this adaptation of Dennis Lehane's novel, in what is now their fourth collaboration. In keeping with Lehane's typically sinister mind, judging by Mystic River and Gone Baby Gone, Shutter Island is as dark as a raven basted in crude oil and equally foreboding too. It is 1954 and US Marshalls Teddy Daniels (DiCaprio) and Chuck Aule (Mark Ruffalo) are assigned to investigate the disappearance of a mentally ill killer who has escaped from her cell at Ashecliffe Hospital on Shutter Island - the ultimate in sinister lodgings for the criminally insane. Incredibly, the government's got Ben Kingsley in charge of the place, which is never a good sign bearing in mind his loopy turn in Sexy Beast, and Teddy is convinced that both he and Dr Naehring, a creepy doc with more than a hint of Nazi about him, are up to a spot of extra-curricular brain surgery on the patients.Determined to blow the whole thing wide open, Teddy starts digging around, but needless to say, all is definitely not what it seems.Martin Scorsese is effectively a byword for pure quality when it comes to movie making, and Shutter Island is certainly no exception. However, Marty's latest is a much darker, more chilling movie than his recent offerings, edging towards psychological thriller or borderline horror.Leonardo DiCaprio once again delivers a scintillating performance as US Marshall Teddy Daniels, a man full of frustration and desperate to uncover the truth in the facility, only to be thwarted by a particularly unhelpful Ben Kingsley as Dr Cawley. Kingsley himself gives a typically brilliant turn as the head of the asylum, fusing charisma and menace in equal amounts.And there is an exceptional supporting cast to boot, with Mark Ruffalo, Emily Mortimer, Michelle Williams, Jackie Earle Haley and Max Von Sydow all stepping up to the plate.Half who done it, half WTF, Shutter Island is quite simply a masterpiece. Tense, tortuous and terrific; lock yourself away with Shutter Island.
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Press Association
The lunatics are taking over the asylum, or that's what Martin Scorsese's impeccably crafted psychological thriller would have us believe. ...
The lunatics are taking over the asylum, or that's what Martin Scorsese's impeccably crafted psychological thriller would have us believe. But then perception and reality are completely blurred in this 1950s-set mystery, adapted by screenwriter Laeta Kalogridis from the best-seller by Dennis Lehane (Mystic River, Gone Baby Gone). In many ways, Shutter Island is an odd fit for Scorsese, who has always punched low and hard on the mean streets of his beloved New York. Here, he is all at sea on the Boston Harbor Islands, concealing some obvious sleights of hand with the plot behind directorial brio. The production design is flawless, evoking moods and fashions of the era, and cinematographer Robert Richardson, nominated for an Oscar this year for Inglourious Basterds, uses contrasting colour palettes to good effect. However, for all its style, Shutter Island is a largely predictable and pedestrian yarn, elevated by a superior cast., Even a consummate filmmaker as gifted as Scorsese undoubtedly is cannot polish mediocrity to a golden lustre. US Marshal Teddy Daniels (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his new partner Chuck Aule (Mark Ruffalo) make the stomach-churning journey by water to Ashecliffe Hospital for the Criminally Insane with a hurricane closing in on the island. Dr Cawley (Sir Ben Kingsley), who oversees the facility, reveals that one of the patients (Emily Mortimer) has escaped and no one has any idea how she could have disappeared without trace. Examining the cell, Teddy discovers a scrap of paper bearing the scribbled words: "THE LAW OF 4. WHO IS 67?" It's the first of many mysteries. As the cops interview the staff including the threatening Dr Naehring (Max von Sydow), Teddy and Chuck begin to sense that something is terribly awry on Shutter Island. As paranoia grips the men, Teddy becomes convinced that Cawley and his security team are secretly holding an additional patient hostage somewhere within the hospital's crumbling walls. Alas, voicing his fears would make the cop sound just as mad as some of the inmates. Shutter Island is arguably Scorsese's most mainstream film, and with more than $100 million at the American box office and counting, it may well be his most commercially successful. However, it is not his finest offering by a long way, leaving us disoriented but ultimately unfulfilled as the cops get their answers. "This whole investigation... you're a rat in a maze," whispers one Ashecliffe resident ominously. DiCaprio's uneven and unconvincing performance makes sense in retrospect, as do the clumsy special effects, but both prove distracting and stop us from feeling completely immersed in the story. Ruffalo, Kingsley and co fail to make an impact while Michelle Williams appears in flashbacks as Teddy's wife. Being incarcerated on Shutter Island for 138 minutes is too long and we are glad to escape.
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