In “Shutter Island” Leondardo DiCaprio spends much of his time scowling. He scowls at women, prison buildings and clothes. He spends so much time scowling, the film should instead be titled “Scowl Island.” Unfortunately “Scowl Island” can only exist in the form of being an audience member watching Martin Scorcese's latest effort in “Shutter Island.”
Set in the 1950's, the story centers around a mental hospital for psychotic criminals. The facility is located on an island. When a patient goes missing, U.S. Marshals Teddy Daniels (Leondardo DiCaprio) and his new partner Chuck Aule (Mark Ruffalo) arrive to investigate. DiCaprio's Teddy constantly smokes, is temperamental and suffers from migraines. Ruffalo's Chuck smokes, is an amiable detective, and suffers from being partnered with Teddy.
Their arrival on the island is welcomed but their investigation is limited. A series of incidents leads the pair to believe their investigation is being slowly obstructed by an orchestrated conspiracy. Teddy believes there is a massive cover up concerning psychological experiments.
During course of the film, Teddy succumbs to hallucinations of his time as an Allied soldier liberating a concentration camp from Nazi control. These series of flashbacks reveal a complicated hero that is troubled by the cruelty of wartime experiments. Teddy never lets the past go, as is exhibited by his sense of guilt for the atrocities he has seen.
There is a a sense of dread upon entering the Shutter Island facility. The buildings are large, they appear ghostly and near demonic. One building is mentioned to have been repurposed from an old Civil War base. The theme of trauma is constantly being imparted by the film's dialogue and narrative. The criminally insane on the island are there because of trauma. The protagonist are there to resolve them.
Martin Scorcese channels a little of Hitchcock's suspense. Scenes are slow, the camera settles on characters and the areas DiCaprio's Teddy travels in is haunting. The island appears dangerous, because Teddy has not only the conspiracy of the island to contend with but also it's terrain and weather. It might as well have been shot in black and white, and not a difference would have been made. The musical score provides the most tangible sense of horror. Wonderful use of color comes when Teddy begins to hallucinate about his wife. The vivid colors becomes a huge contrast to the banality of the nearly gray palette of the reality presented in “Shutter Island.” Everything is dark and hidden in shadows. Every room an impending danger. Thus, making Teddy's dream like trance a rewarding safe haven from the muted reality.
The film is quite miserable. Not in a sense that the film is definitively bad, rather the film isn't a joyous trek. DiCaprio's Teddy never laughs, and seemingly never smiles. He is constantly on edge. In having a protagonist so wired, the film fails to find a safe way to move the plot along. At one point in the film Teddy makes a joke, but few of the audience members laugh because of the intensity of the film. The film is too intense, and is unpleasant.
Ben Kingsley brings in an eloquent performance as Dr. John Cawley. Kingsley acts with subtlety, a smile here and a slight sense of amusement there. An entire performance based on hidden emotions. It is clever acting that will never see an Oscar nod, but is accomplished nonetheless. This talented performer brings a great contrast to DiCaprio, who is firing on extreme emotions in nearly every scene. However, the variety of DiCaprio's performance is limited based on the requirements of the script. Watching DiCaprio scowl at everything and the sun is disappointing. Films are supposed to be about substance not an indulgent self-inflicted drudge through the emotions of constant despair and paranoia. Nothing about the film is uplifting.
The audience is spoon fed plot points in order to attempt to grasp the entire situation. It is not immediately made clear what exactly is occurring on “Shutter Island.” But by the time everything is figured out, the story becomes a major letdown. In the end it is impossible to cheer for the hero, because he was never in a position to be able to meet his challenges in the first place. Simple rule of film making and storytelling 101, have a hero that is able to either face his challenges or learn to face his challenges. “Shutter Island” does neither.
“Shutter Island” is a trek through terrific film making mortified by a conclusion that nearly photo copies the ending of “The Sixth Sense.” Save the pennies, and go rent a Martin Scorcese picture that has social values like “Casino.” Avoid “Shutter Island” because your sanity really does depend on it.
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