Through the Looking Glass: My Review of Shutter Island, Newly Released February 2010

Ok; here is my review of the movie I just saw, Shutter Island. Overall, I liked it and thought it was an original twist on mystery and thriller genres. It takes place in 1954, and is based on the book by Dennis Lehane. Martin Scorsese's take on Shutter Island, the movie, plays a strong suit to his large collection of other works. The mood is mysterious and dark, with a gothic like quality to the cinematography. The plot unfolds slowly; perhaps too much so at first, but with a central focus, that of Teddy Daniels played by Leonardo Di Caprio as a feisty US Marshall with a short fuse that investigates a missing mental patient that was committed for murdering her own three children. Mark Garofalo is his sidekick, and plays a convincing but neutral and non-threatening second US Marshall that assists in the investigation. Ben Kingsley does a good job of playing the good doctor, while Max Van Sydow does a great portrayal of the sinister doctor, with an interesting pull and tug between good and evil. The movie is set in New England, off a remote island called guess what, Shutter Island. The scenes are spectacular, with close-ups of the violent waves crashing against large rocks, characteristic of that landscape, adding to the starkness and dark mood of the story. The photography was so good it could have been the story itself, as the desolate scene told its own tale. The coloring of the ocean, rocks, and sky remind me of looking at old pictures developed in sepia or black and white, but with muted color overtones. Leonardo Di Caprio gives a strong performance, as he is equally dark with a predominant scowl on his face throughout most of the movie. Shadowy and sinister images throughout the story increases the nightmarish and dreamlike quality of the movie. The plot winds like a serpent through a maze, and comes to a conclusion that gives one a feeling of wanting more. Groundhog Day, the 1993 movie with Bill Murray, comes to mind with its recurrent theme of Deja Vu and "I have been here before", that also is characteristic of this movie. It is a movie worthwhile seeing, but not for the faint at heart.