Culture Blues

Film: Shutter Island

It's almost impossible to get into what works and what doesn't in Martin Scorsese’s Shutter Island without getting into heavy spoiler territory. I'm going to try my best not to give away too much, but if you read beyond this point, consider yourself warned.

First, what does work: Leonardo DiCaprio as tenacious and damaged US Marshall Teddy Daniels delivers a nuanced, believable performance. He's on screen for nearly every second of this movie, so he pretty much has to. The biggest compliment I can pay DiCaprio is that he’s consistently able to make me forget I’m watching a global superstar as he totally immerses himself in his character. DiCaprio is surrounded by a stellar supporting cast in Mark Ruffalo (as the plucky sidekick) and Ben Kingsley (as doctor Sigmund Creepster), as well as a cavalcade of strong actors filling out Shutter Island's roster of mental defectives (most notably Elias Koteas, who is only scarier when playing Casey Jones).

Scorsese's vision of this Lovecraftian nightmare is beautifully realized. The stylized jump cuts that seemed heavy-handed and jarring in The Departed here lend to the film's dangerous atmosphere. And the dream sequences, while at times verging on too David Lynch circa Twin Peaks, showcase a range beyond Scorsese's usual drab grit. Basically, it all looks very pretty.

So what doesn't work? Maybe if Shutter Island had been released 10 years ago it might have been mind-blowing, or at least mind-tweaking. Instead, Scorsese's entrant in the cinematic twist-athon comes too late, with jaded moviegoers or, frankly, total idiots nonetheless versed in the recent works of Shymalan and Fincher, capable of spotting the pay-off early on (say, after watching the trailer). Actually, I became somewhat invested in rooting against the obvious, so at least Shutter Island never totally lost my interest.

While Shutter Island plods toward its inevitable conclusion, its thrills begin to suffer from the law of diminishing returns. When the curtain is at last pulled back, DiCaprio and company offer the formulaic proceedings a measure of undeserving gravity. It's a testament to the cast that they are able to wring some legitimate feeling from a conclusion so relentlessly played. Worth seeing, but ultimately disappointing.