Shutter Island

Enjoy it while it lasts…

Lover: Taken from IMDB
“Really, Scorsese should just give it away for anyone. The man is one of the most brilliant directors of our time. Anyway, let me get to the actual movie; I just saw it at a early screening and have to write this while I'm thinking about how stunning it was. Shutter Island is certainly not a typical film, not even for Scorsese. It is a different take for the director, and he does it, as he does every film, perfectly, so much as to be in his own league of film-making. I don't want to give anything away, but I will say this: Shutter Island was completely unexpected, and a great start to 2010. It had all the components of a great film, and then some. The acting is spot on from every character; none of it seems forged or out of place. The script is fantastic; it has one of the most intriguing plots I have seen in a while (exception being Tarantino's Basterds). Everything, down to the set's lighting, was perfectly executed. I will say that not everyone will like this; Shutter Island, again, isn't your typical movie. To those, though, who do choose to see this film, be ready for a compelling, gripping, thought-provoking experience, so much so that you might think to see it again for further clarity (I know I will; it was so entertaining and my mind was blown!). Don't be surprised if you see this at the next Oscars...”

Quite right and definitely a film worth re watching to see just how good Martin Scorsese is and how he gets you to the end, however laboured.

Hater: Taken from IMDB
“Oooo! it's Scorsese! and The Caprio, and Ben "Gandhi" Kingsley. Let's start the praise, the "masterpiece litany"!!!! The film is presented this way (the quote is from a review at IMDb's): SHUTTER ISLAND is the story of two U.S. marshals, Teddy Daniels and Chuck Aule, who are summoned to a remote and barren island off the coast of Massachusetts to investigate the mysterious disappearance of a murderess from the island's fortress-like hospital for the criminally insane. Try now to believe it. As the aim of the movie is to deny what you have just read. So what's the point? I can introduce Alice in wonderland like "it is the story of a Chinese manufacturer who is hired by a mysterious underground tea dealer. Eventually she has to confront the mischievous queen of Tibet to defend a bunch of rabbits". Shutter Island is a bad movie. Everything is built on a "twist" which is clear since the very beginning. In-depth explanation involving fire and water dichotomy (some review at IMDb's) must come from patient 64. There are a couple of nice shots (nice doesn't necessarily mean "beautiful"), but there are a lot of flaws in the "story", boring clichés, incongruences, unexplainable behaviour even for an asylum... and the more you try to sum up things, the worst it looks.”

There have been plenty of films built on the twist at the end, did they like Fight Club? Seven? Sixth Sense? Atonement ? It is completely wrong to write a film off for this reason! The comparison with Alice in Wonderland whilst clever is ridiculous! As the review comes to the end he makes a lot of statements without really backing any up.

What I thought:
I was excited about the film, who wouldn’t with Scorsese at the helm, the early trailers looked great. Unfortunately I only got a chance to see if recently and I wasn’t disappointed till the end. From the very start you know you’re watching a film where not everything is right, set in a scary asylum secluded on an island it’s bound to be! The other thing that strikes you from the beginning is just how excellent and atmospheric this film is, a tense thriller that borders on psychological horror, with acting that supports it.

Every element is there from Scorsese’s trademark tracking shots and excellent eye for a shot, the soundtrack is extremely disjointed and the acting is brilliant. Put together it makes it a great tense thriller however there’s something not quite right when it reaches its inevitable end. Now there be spoilers ahead so look away now if you don’t want it ruined, but I think the reason the ending doesn’t work as well as it should do is the Leonardo Dicaprio makes his made up character Teddy Daniels to just too damn likeable. So went it gets to the end you have been routing for him the whole way through just to find out he’s not real.

It’s just a disappointing end to what is a fantastic film.