Movie 21 - Shutter Island (2010), Dir. Martin Scorsese.
There are certain movies that absolutely knock your socks off, and this movie is one of them.
The movie starts with US Marshals Teddy Daniels (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Chuck Aule (Mark Ruffalo) as they are on a boat heading to a mental institution located on Shutter Island to investigate the disappearance of one of the patients.
The entire movie does a wonderful job maintaining a constant tone. It does not try to include out-of-place jokes or lines that have no meaning. Some of the scenes where there is no background sound, and it's just a character, bring out a thrilling aspect to watching the movie. The sound and cinematography are a work of art; the night scenes and dark scenes were able to bring a horror element to the story, and the sound just enhanced all scenes even more. The portrayal of Teddy losing his mind in scenes is shot very well and is able to show what is happening to him.
The movie does a great job of not only showing how far you can manipulate and gaslight someone just by using words like who and what. The majority of the movie is from Leo's perspective, and seeing it all unravel from his perspective that comes from his grief and trauma that is shown using scenes about his past when he attacked a Nazi concentration camp. The scenes of him talking to his wife Dolores Chanal (Michelle Williams), the scene with George Noyce (Jackie Haley), and his scenes with Mark Ruffalo are full of details and information that is unknowingly critical to the plot. The unraveling will eventually have you questioning if Leo is really being tricked or he is just being delusional. You might also get tricked with the amount of small twists and reveals. His acting is the best of the movie, and because he is given a lot to work with, it shows how much range he has and how brilliant he can be.
The climax of him realizing that he is actually a patient and not a US Marshal anymore was bonkers. The scene that revealed that his kids were killed by his wife, and him finding out and trying to save them and then him killing his wife. The whole sequence made my soul feel so heavy; it was gut-wrenching to watch. The mental illness of the wife was conveyed very easily but was able to show how complex her situation really was.
The story from the beginning is completely different from the ending. It is a true psychological thriller that has you on your feet at all times. To be able to guess the story, you have to pay sharp attention to the details and not take anything lightly as each of the scenes are all connected in one way or another. The phrases and the names all connect, and when it unravels throughout the movie, it is a shock that you do not expect.
I've realized that the key to watching movies made by older directors and just generally is to just sit and watch the movie. Your focus needs to be on the scene that is playing, and there should be no theorizing or predictions. Reason being you might end up in a rabbit hole of crazy thoughts that will ruin the experience.
The movie is one of the best I have seen so far in my challenge and a must-watch if you are a fan of this genre. 10/10
******************************************************************
My next review is going to Murder Mystery 2 (2023)
Check this out on Medium.
Comments