Scorsese effortlessly exacts strong performances from his cast but is let down by a script that is too engrossed with its own complexity
SHUTTER ISLAND
U/A; Thriller
Dir: Martin Scorsese
Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo, Ben Kingsley, Michelle Willliams
Rating:**
What's it about: They all seem a bit off-colour and not without good reason. It's a crazy world off the mainland, that has even the sea-faring ferrymen not wanting to spend too much time on its shores. Shutter Island is the name of a gulagu00a0-- a prison facility for the criminally insaneu00a0-- and federal marshalls Teddy (Leo) and Chuck (Mark) are sent to investigate an inmate's disappearance from a locked cell. All is not what it seems on this island that seems straight out the classic 'Dr Moreau' imagination. And Teddy, reeling from a personal tragedy, reveals that he's there for more than just an investigation. Dr Cawley (Kingsley) appears to be hiding more than he's revealing and has the detective in Teddy working overtime. And then, Chuck disappears...
Will the two ever get off the island?
What's hot: The first half of the film is intense and has you rambling down a rabbit hole of plot twists andu00a0 surprising turns. You are never quite sure where the story is going and that sort of keeps you interested. Mark Ruffalo outshines a DiCaprio who looks like he's stepped staight off the sets of The Aviator (the part of the film where Hughes loses it), with an understated performance.
What's not: It goes all downhill after the interval when you begin to tire of the labyrinth of sorts and just want it to end. And when it does, there are far too many unanswered questions and implausible explanations.
What to do: Watch it once, if only to see how Scorsese effortlessly exacts strong performances from his cast but is let down by a script that is too engrossed with its own complexity.
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