Shutter Island Review

Martin Scorsese is known for being a skilled director. Taxi Driver (1976), After Hours (1985), Goodfellas (1990) and even his lesser works like Bringing out the Dead (1990) are substantial. Shutter Island (2010) might be in the category of lesser works, but it is still a film that harbors both an aesthetic and emotional punch. Though, I am sure that many audience members will be able to figure out the plot twist once the pieces start to fall into place. Nonetheless, the journey getting there is impressively twisted and visceral. It begins as a noir detective story, eventually becomes a thriller and then a tragic psychological drama.

Most will be fooled with the promise of a stylish thriller and instead get enveloped into a trip inside the mind of a tormented individual. This was the best trick that the Dennis Lehane novel had going for it, despite the obvious twist ending and the lengthy explanations, it always had the psychological drama hiding underneath all the regular trappings of a thriller. The film faithfully follows the same route that the novel does. However, Scorsese amplifies the right aspects of the adapted written work, but he also keeps some of its flaws. The main problem that runs through Shutter Island is the lengthy expositions. For some reason, each character has to abundantly and awkwardly explain everything. This slows down the pace of the film and brings certain suspenseful buildups to a complete halt.

Now it is true that the novel takes about 50 pages to explain the ending, but that does not mean that the film should take the same time. The twist is clear by the time Teddy gets to the lighthouse and there is no need to explain it all out. Nevertheless, the sequence that follows this lengthy explanation is masterful. It is intense and draining, every emotion the film has been building up to is packed into this one sequence; so it makes the explanation worthwhile. If only the exposition was cut down a considerable amount, it would make the whole ordeal much more impacting. The place where Shutter Island excels the most is the set pieces and the detailed cinematography. The memories and dreams have a brightly colored palette that contrast the grainy colors of Teddy’s reality. There are small details crammed into each frame. References are hidden in every corner.

Shutter Island has its moments, despite its faults. Surely, it is a divisive work that some will like and others will not. In the end, it is completely up to your perspective.