 |
SHUTTER ISLAND
(2010)
DIRECTOR:
Martin Scorsese.
STARRING:
Leonardo Dicaprio, Mark Ruffalo, Ben Kingsley, Michelle Williams.
|
|
|
|
Martin Scorsese is an absolute fucking genius. He has only a handful of the many films he has made that I either don't like, or have not bothered to see. Whether you recall his earlier films such as Mean Streets, Taxi Driver, Raging Bull or King of Comedy (awesomely enough - all starring Robert DeNiro) or you look at his more recent classics like Gangs of New York, The Aviator and The Departed - it is all summed up with two words:
CINEMATIC GOLD
Personally, my preferential era of Scorsese's career is the 90s. Surprised? If you're a regular reader - you shouldn't be. I love the 90s. An undefeatable era of cheesy, dramatic film. The clothes were genius, the music defining and the films were all pure representations of a decade full of a society awakening from a drug overdose enduced coma. Movies like Scorsese's Cape Fear remake (evidently only made by Scorsese due to a deal he made with BLAH STUDIO to receive funding for his passion project The Last Temptation of Christ), Goodfellas and Casino are impactful and upon a first viewing can push some people into a tidal wave of cinematic passion. Earning them the respectful title of "movie buff". For the unknowledgable movie goer, Robert DeNiro featured in all three of these films too. As a matter of fact, other than Joe Pesci and a small handful of other gangster looking actor fellows, eg. the great Frank Vincent, the only actor Scorsese commonly used over and over again was DeNiro. After reading a biography on DeNiro it is realised Scorsese and DeNiro share a common passion and goal in cinema, thus making them the perfect partnership. Together they had to convince someone to fund Raging Bull which nobody wanted to back due to Jack LaMotta being such a piece of shit. Unfortunately, in his more recent years I fear DeNiro has given up on bringing any performance of reasonable quality to the screen, with his last good performance, in my opinion, being in Men of Honour.
With more recent years, though, Scorsese has NOT dropped the ball. His ability to tell a story has not reduced and he still has a sharp eye for what he wants to show the audience. Sure, new techniques has been put into play. Remember, the cinematographer supplies the equipment and know how - the director just tells him what he wants. CGI, steady cams and what have you are all regular every day parts of filmmaking now and it has affected the appearance of Scorsese films. Less long rolling shots, less traditional techniques, more dynamic angles, etc. It's not a bad thing, it's just not old school Scorsese.
Following this change is a new leading man, replacing DeNiro, as Scorsese's "protege". Leonardo Dicaprio is this leading man and he does not let Scorsese down one fucking bit. Dicaprio is a guy who a decade ago I didn't give a fuck about. Sure, Critters 3 was awesome, but fuck me - Titanic, Romeo and Juliet... the whole beautiful teenage boy who all the 12 year old girls swoon over - I don't care about that. On a more serious note, other than his performance in What's Eating Gilbert Grape (to be honest, I wouldn't be surprised if Gilbert Grape's mother was eating Gilbert Grape), I had no idea what the big fucking deal was with Leonardo Dicaprio. In his more recent films such as - The Departed, Gangs of New York, The Aviator, Blood Diamond, The Beach, Body of Lies, Revolutionary Road - I see the big deal. Dicaprio is a versatile master of his art.
In the 2010 psychological thriller, Shutter Island, Dicaprio is at his best. Scorsese is definitely treading new ground, with more experimentation in his directing style than ever, but actually pulling out a few old school more traditional tricks along the way. Some people have suggested Scorsese was too unfamiliar with the style of film he was making. I say some people are too familiar with Scorsese making gangster flicks and can't handle him branching into new territory with complete success. One dickface actually told me to prepare to be "utterly, fucking disappointed". Well, dickface, prepare to be utterly, fucking disappointed, because you were so fucking wrong. If you can't handle a movie like this - stop watching fucking movies and start taking ADD meds. I mean, I can only assume your attention span is ZERO.
|
|
Shutter Island, set in 1954 (the era of trenchcoats), has US Marshall Teddy Daniels (Dicaprio) teaming up with first time partner, Chuck (Mark Ruffalo), to investigate Ashecliff Hospital on Shutter Island. A prisoner- oops, I mean patient (a verbal error Teddy makes often throughout the beginning of the film), Rachel Solando (Emily Mortimer), has disappeared from her locked room. This is a bad thing, see, because Rachel just happens to be INSANE and is responsible for the death of her three children. She is considered dangerous as she is still living in a world where she exists within her own home, with her children alive. She believes everyone around her are just milk men, plumbers and carpenters - so if this were a porno she'd be charged with "receiving too much adulterous penetration". Leading into a woman coming out with a whip, letting her know she's been a bad girl and needing to be punished. Trippy bass notes would come in and they'd start licking each other's nipples... Oh... Hello there... Excuse me. Yes, yes... the review!
|
|
|
^^ Teddy: Sir, you WILL answer questions! I mean business, I'm wearing a trench coat here, see!
Doctor: We all own trenchcoats, sir. It's the 1950s... |
|
Teddy and Chuck roam the hospital and it's grounds, asking questions when they can, but something seems wrong. Question time is limited by the powers that be and everyone has the exact same story about Rachel Solando and, for that matter, how exactly DID she get out of a locked room? During numerous interviews with the prisoners- oops, I mean patients, they are slipped a note which reads "RUN". Teddy is definitely suspicious. Not only of the hospital procedures and patient treatment, but also suspicious of head psychiatrist, Dr. Cawley (Ben Kingsley), and Dr. Naehring (Max Von Sydow), due to his "Nazi" ties - eg. he's GERMAN. Unfortunately, Teddy fought in the war against the nazis. We are privvy to this via horrific flashback scenes of death and brutality. So he most certainly has some sort of bias against a German man
Teddy has alot of baggage actually. He had a wife, Dolores (Michelle Williams), who died in their apartment while it burnt to the ground. A man called Andrew Laeddis (briefly played by Elias Koteas - looking a fuck load like DeNiro) is responsible for lighting the fire and this is the real reason Teddy is on this case. He knows Laeddis is somewhere within the hospital on Shutter Island - and he wants to find him. Originally he did NOT seek out the man behind his wife's death to kill him, but after numerous dreams involving the ghost of Dolores, his goal changes to murderous revenge.
Eventually, Teddy finds Rachel hiding in a cave in the side of a cliff face near a lighthouse where Teddy suspect evil experiments on the patients are happening. Rachel confirms all of his suspicions and also suggests Teddy has been drugged by anything given to him since he arrivied on the island, including aspirin and cigarettes!
Slowly, Teddy decends into a spiralling pit of madness. Losing his mind and his identity along the way. Did he seek this case out on the island or was the case made up to attract HIM to the island? Are all his suspicions a trick his own mind is playing on him? How well does he know his brand new partner? Why does he keep dreaming about his wife? It all wraps up into a climactic tale of schizophrenic twists, paranoia, mind games and identity loss. The end will surprise you (it surprised others more than it susprised me but I still did not completely predict the extent of the twist) and, if you have a brain, will definitely have an impact.
The presentation of this film is second to few. From the opening scene we know Scorsese intends on presenting this film in a traditional murder mystery type fashion. Upon entering through the gates of Ashecliff Hospital we are treated to a slow POV shot from the front of the people mover truck Teddy and Chuck are brought in on. A dark, epic, dramatic score plays over the top of it. A pure example of allowing the music to greaten the shot. The visuals need the music and the music needs the visuals. Simplicity at it's best. A great breath of fresh air in a modern time of saturated visuals and a continuing flawed theory of "bigger is better". The score carrying on throughout the film is brilliant and it represents the whole theme of Shutter Island.
The casting is nothing more than perfect. Dicaprio brings his best to the performance, as always. Yet other actors shine just as brightly. Ben Kingsley is as professional as always, although his role offers no great sense of challenge. Naturally, Mark Ruffalo plays yet another type cast role of a goofier, walk over type guy who wouldn't say shit with a mouth full of it. Not a bad performance but it's kind of like "oh, playing that again huh?". Michelle Williams plays a devilishly mysterious role as Dolores, Teddy's wife. She's beautiful and enigmatic in the dream sequences but it's in one of Teddy's more enlightening flashback sequences that we truly see her bring the role to fruition. We need to see more of this chick - I dig her.
|
|
|
Combining modern methods and technology with traditional cinematic ideas, Scorsese pulls off a film too bizarre for words. You never know where it's coming from and some people may beleft feeling uncomfortable, or to a gayer extent - "icky", after watching it. It's not that it's frightening (although it does have it's moments), it's just... uncomfortable... or a head fuck to watch. It succeeds in returning us to the days of movies from the 1970s, which in my opinion is a golden era for film. Maybe this is why it's hard to watch? It doesn't hide itself amongst gimmicks or over the top bullshit. It's just bare bones and spares us the trickery, outside of it's psychologically skull fucking thriller storyline.
Alot of people have complained about this movie. Yet I've heard no arguments worthy of mentioning, as none of the points raised occured correct to me at any point during my viewing of Shutter Island. |
Teddy: Evil is happening in that lighthouse, I know it... ^^
Chuck: Have you seen our trenchcoats? |
This movie is a masterful piece of art and except for Scorsese's well known habit of continuity errors, I see no major flaws. Perhaps some people have become too closed minded on what they PREFER Scorsese does and can't handle his dive into such a dark, strange film? Maybe the attention spans of many have been destroyed by Avatar's epileptic fit enducing imagery?
But my main theory is this - I think some people just make a negative opinion on something when they simply don't get it. It's a move carried out by the insecure among us. Fearing their intelligence be judged inadequate when they don't get something as straight forward as a murder mystery film. I heard often that "too many loose ends were left". I'm not sure what movie they watched as I left going, "Yeah, that all made sense and what a satisfyingly wrapped up finale!" Other than one particular line in the last moments of the film, that has been done to intentionally leave you guessing (I cannot say what this line is at it may give much away) there is nothing to be confused over! It's funny though... Donnie Darko - in my eyes is just random, stupid imagery and to be honest I think the fucking movie is shit. I actually think the director, Richard Kelly, doesn't really know how to make a film and he lucked out on a few fuckwits thinking Donnie Darko was "intellectual" or "artistic" simply because they KNOW they don't fucking get it. Yet most people would watch David Cronenberg's Naked Lunch and deem it shit, because it makes very little sense. I choose to believe this is also the case with Shutter Island. I can't think of any other reason why you would feel negatively about it as it's got great performances, Scorsese's signature directing style throughout and it's simply a brilliant fucking story.
If you're a fan of cinema and long for movies pre-2000, do not waste any time and check out Shutter Island today. Scorsese only gets better with age, Dicaprio portrays his character with strength, the story unfolds with satisfying suspension and despite it's well over 2 hours long long running time, it also unfolds within a satisfying time frame. Another Scorsese masterpiece, destined for my film collection. Fuck all the haters - this is what REAL MOVIES are meant to be.
|
|
Feeling completely the opposite of "utterly fucking disappointed", I give this instant classic: |
|
4.5 OUT OF 5 JAGER-BABIES. |
|
| |
I was actually interested about his character and exactly what the fuck happened to him... Thought the rest of the cast was great.. But yeah the scenery at times was just amazing to take in... One look at the hospital and grounds a person gets a sterile cold evil feeling about it ...