Thoughts on Shutter Island

I'll admit that I was a bit frustrated by Shutter Island after a first viewing, echoing the relative critical disappointment that preceded its release.  How could Scorsese allow me to sit through two and a half hours to arrive at the same conclusion I surmised after watching the trailer months ago?  Because this is supposed to be a "twist" movie, right?  Right?  Well, not entirely.  As a devoted Scorsese fan, I figured I owed him another chance, and with a second viewing one is able to avoid the tricky expectations game and the true fiery genius of Scorsese's murky Shutter Island begins to break through.  

What is first most easily appreciated about the film is the stellar ensemble cast.  Leonardo DiCaprio, in his third straight collaboration with the director, takes on what just might be his most challenging role to date as Marshall Teddy Daniels, who is sent to investigate the apparently crooked goings-on of Shutter Island, which houses an asylum "...for the criminally insane," Daniels is sure to add.  DiCaprio's slow burn of a performance is a pleasure to behold, and serves the film well.  The supporting cast is equally strong with Mark Ruffalo joining veteran actors Ben Kingsley and Max von Sydow who serve as the narrative's anchors.  There are numerous brief performances that add to the rich texture of the film, including the always perfect Patricia Clarkson, Jackie Earle Haley, and a uber-creepy Ted Levine (of Silence of the Lambs fame).

Part of why Shutter Island will likely stand the test of time is the wonderful lighting and camera work by DP Robert Richardson, who, coincidentally, is nominated for an Oscar this year for Inglourious Basterds.  He employs such a textural and rich color palette that at times the film both electrifies your senses and chills your soul.  There are many key shots that remain burned in my memory, several of which stem from Teddy's vivid nightmares, particularly the shot of Teddy's head encased in a fog of cigarette smoke, alone in the empty psychiatrist's den.  A second memorable scene that was widely showcased in the film's trailer shows Teddy embracing a disintegrating Dolores among floating ashes, haunting in its unexpected ethereal beauty.

What I really enjoyed in retrospect is how Scorsese toys with the viewer's perceptions.  When you realize that Shutter Island is less about exacting the mechanism of the so-called "twist" but rather observing as it is steadily revealed to be what you thought all along, through the prism of DiCaprio's tortured performance, then things start to get a little less overbearing and far more intriguing.  You'll find a repeat viewing to be an even more rewarding experience as you find subtle clues and purposeful misdirections there right from the very start.  Go see it.  Again.