Shutter Island

“I’ve seen something like it before.” I’m going to throw out some spoilers, so it would be better if you read this after seeing the film. On the first viewing, until the lengthy explanatory passage, Shutter Island is a paranoid crime thriller that draws on Hitchcock’s legacy and horror B-movies. On the second viewing, it is an atmospheric drama laden with the questions that Scorsese has posed throughout his entire filmography (What’s worse, emotional or physical violence? Is it better to stay in one’s accepted role or to reveal one’s true face? To accept guilt or let it consume you?). Unfortunately, the second viewing reveals not only the well-thought-out distribution of clues leading us to the final revelation, but also the film’s inability to work on both levels simultaneously. The pleasure of a skilfully shot, though not entirely smoothly flowing genre movie (the shots don't fit together as elegantly as in Casino, for example) is disrupted by long dialogue scenes in which the Big Issue is addressed, which Scorsese is again unable to properly elaborate on, because he would deprive himself and us of the pleasure taken from the presence of trashy add-ons like Nazis, mass murder, a mysterious lighthouse and a lobotomy. In short, he spoils the fun by trying to squeeze something more out of it, which is manifested in the significant reduction of the funny verbal exchanges between Chuck and Teddy from the book on which the film is based (and which, incidentally, can be read in one breath both as a genre treat and as a suspenseful story that may conceal something more). Therefore, I find it more inspiring to watch Shutter Island, even at the cost of a slight overinterpretation, as a multi-level psychoanalytical treat for all followers of Žižek (Teddy constantly moves between different floors, which we can see as “levels” of his mind; familiar with Teddy’s dreams, Dr. Cawley personifies the subconscious; Chuck, addressing Teddy as “boss”, conversely represents his – seemingly – controlled ego) which with its narrative is – probably unintentionally – reminiscent of a video game (restarting the mission, collecting objects and solving riddles, Teddy as Laeddis’s game avatar…). Choose what makes more sense to you. Regardless of its faults, one visit to Shutter Island will almost definitely not be enough. 85% (30/08/2012)

Scorsese still knows how to set the right atmosphere, this is a great piece of craft and everybody is acting beautifully, so this movie isn’t just about the message. And luckily so, because after just about ten minutes there would be nothing left to watch. Despite this, I still couldn’t get that niggling thought out of my head that this should have been an episode of Tales from the Crypt and not a hundred and forty minute feature movie. If it weren’t for the opening crossing to the island and the closing approx. thirty seconds, I wouldn’t remember anything at all of this. (18/02/2010)

I'm still struggling to find words the day after the screening. The meticulously crafted screenplay is still spinning in my head, the performances are in front of my eyes, and Martin Scorsese, after the average "The Aviator" and the misstep named "The Departed", is excelling so much that it takes my breath away. He plays with Hitchcock, with Kubrick, screams his love for old films to the world, and squeezes me every few minutes. At one point, I almost burst into tears out of helplessness, and a few minutes later, I am almost killed by the escalating tension. And the whole time, he has an unbelievable control over me, leading me through every corner of Shutter Island as he pleases. At this late stage of his filmography, it is the absolute pinnacle, and at the same time, a diamond that I come back to in my memories like to few others. (18/03/2010)

This is simply a movie for pleasure. Marty plays about with absolutely everything. He plays with the music, period stylization, the storytelling and the actors play along with him. The atmosphere is thick as fog in the opening scene. Drooling psychopaths winking out on every street corner, storms rage and the road to the main message (which you can probably guess) is a winding one and goes through an impressive range of exquisite twists, turnabouts and unexpected situations that keep your eyes glued to the screen. Add some dark dreamlike hallucinations and rather forgotten memories of the main protagonist during the second world war. DiCaprio acts as if his life depended on it, maybe this is one of his best performances of his career, but even so he can hardly compare with the old vets who finally landed a superb parts. Despite how you might expect the movie to evolve, the ending is crushing and the last sentence in Shutter Island is the icing on this beautifully served cake. (11/03/2010)

The key questions are: does Shutter Island offer anything more than a well-built but remarkably unbalanced genre story? Isn't the feeling of confusion that comes after watching it actually just a reflection of the inner emptiness of the story that was told? Does the shocking point not only explain, but also justify all the wonders (logical, spatiotemporal and ideological) of the previous events? I can’t say that I’m closer to the answer YES... Which is quite a sad outcome for M. Scorsese's film. Despite the absorbing atmosphere, despite DiCaprio, despite some really great moments, I'm far from appreciating the creative game, however much I am able to accept it. I shake my head helplessly over a work that is a much more effective trick than a thoughtful manipulation. Perhaps if the film stayed away from stray attempts to overlap and admitted without torture that it was ONLY a pure, and at its core a blunt genre film, I would have left the movie theatre more satisfied. (15/02/2010)