Breaking news. Martin Scorsese has done it again. Since the first "Shutter Island" preview sparked in 2009, I've been excited to see this film. Director Martin Scorsese takes you to a creepy island full of crazies in a movie that will keep you guessing until the credits roll. By now, everyone knows that Paramount decided to push this movie back due to economy problems/marketing/budgets/etc. The Studios did a nice job of moving it into a weekend in February where nobody else would bother it. "Shutter" was the only mainstream release on its opening weekend, and with "Cop Out" and "The Crazies" opening up this weekend, I think it's a safe bet that it could win the box office again.
The movie is based on a novel by Dennis Lehane. In recent years, his books "Mystic River" and "Gone Baby Gone" have been adapted to screenplays. I didn't read the book so I was went into the screening guessing from the very beginning. The film starts with an investigation after a high security patient escapes from the maximum security facility known as Shutter Island. The cast in the film fits like a perfectly round peg. Everyone knows Leonardo DiCaprio and Scorsese are a safe bet, but the other members are what makes the movie fulfilling. Sir Ben Kingsley plays the doctor that's in control of the island. What makes his character so great in this film is that he can take an average sentence/description/detail and make it creepy to the tenth degree! Mark Ruffalo also stars as Leo's partner, Chuck. Ruffalo does a great job of stirring the pot as the detectives continue to investigate the mystery. The rest of the cast includes Michelle Williams, Max von Sydow, Jackie Earle Haley, Patricia Clarkson, Emily Mortimer, and Ted Levine.
"Shutter Island" grabs you from the opening scene and drags you (like a patient) through an unknown,dark, and frightening world. You find yourself paying attention to every little detail (Sorry, no spoilers here) which makes movies like these worth the price of admission. Scorsese does an excellent job of lighting the film with the perfect tint of eerie grey. When the credits hit, you find yourself going back through all the little pieces and making sure they fit correctly. The pieces DO fit....like a round wooden peg! Is this my favorite Scorsese film, probably not. It's hard to argue with "Goodfellas" and "The Departed," but in a world where we continue to see directors stay in their comfort zones, it's so refreshing to see Scorsese step behind the 3-point line and sink a winning shot.
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