I have always been a Dennis LeHane fan. I loved Mystic River(the novel more than the film) and when I read Shutter Island about 8 years ago I literally read it all in one night. It kept me up for nights after that. I was so thoroughly engrossed and engaged by such a thrilling novel that it took me awhile to be able to find another novel that could ever live up to what Shutter Island managed to do for me as a novel. So I was so excited to find out that it was becoming a film; however, as time progressed and waiting time increased I started to have my doubts; especially since I knew how the novel ended. Then, I saw The Lovely Bones another earth-shattering and ground breaking novel and what I saw was deplorable. I started to get really scared for Shutter Island.
Finally the first viewing came; and I was actually pleasantly surprised. Shutter Island may just be the most accurate book to movie translation I have ever seen. While not being able to be called a 'horror' film per se; it definitely evokes itself upon the viewer as a psychological thriller. This film is drenched in Cold War propaganda and elements of film noire making it a Gothic horror as it was intended to be.
While not planning on over-analysing the film the plot is solid... while definitely feeling a little long as one watches the film (with all of its flashbacks) it is definitely much more comprehendable than something like the television show Lost. And while the twist-like ending is seen long before it actually comes about it doesn't seem to matter because it takes time to process the ending and allows the audience to start to process it as it's playing out. On the bus ride home after the second screening nearly 75% of the bus was talking about the ending and trying to interpret what it meant to them; or what they thought happened. While the ending is more clear in the novel I don't think there is any other way Scorsese could have ended this film than the way he did.
Dicaprio has grown so much as an actor since he broke out onto the scene over a decade ago and his portrayal of Edward Daniels, a U.S. Marshall investigating the disappearance of a psychiatric patient from an institute for the criminal insane on the aptly named Shutter Island, was phenomenal. Those leaving the movie complaining that they didn't like it because it made them think or hurt their heads have no reason to blame Dicaprio - because his performance was nearly flawless. I was surprised that Sir Ben Kingsley took the role of Doctor Cawley, the overseer for the institute, because for someone of such high acting repute it seemed like a minor character to indulge in; although I'm sure that working with Martin Scorsese was part of the draw to the role.
While I seem to be praising the movie an awful lot here the movie was far from perfect. The continuity errors, especially in the flashbacks, were so blatant and obvious that it became a giant distraction from the plot. The music, as dark and ominous as it was also seemed to be ill-fitting and actually made the movie feel slower; and when you're watching a 138 minute movie the last think you want is the movie to feel slower.
Kevin Williamson of Sun media wrote it best in his review in the Ottawa Sun when he stated that this is not Martin Scorsese's best work; but all of Martin Scorsese's works deserve to be viewed. Scorsese is a fantastic director and you can see the brilliance that is Scorsese in the way that the film was shot; and while it was no Goodfellas or Mean Streets or Raging Bull it is definitely Scorsese and that alone makes it worthy of a viewing.
This movie, like I said, while not amazing isn't a complete disappointment. It has a strong plot, strong actors, and a strong director... yet it still doesn't completely come together in the end. The second time I viewed this film I was able to watch it in a completely new-light and actually enjoyed it much more.
So give the film a shot. It deserves at least that!
3 out of 5 stars
Ok, firstly the job of a movie adaptation is NOT to recreate what happens in the book. It's freaking impossible unless you want to watch a 12 part mini-series that spans 30+ hours. The movie's role is to find a "part" of the book and translate it into a compelling story. Characters might be combined, and the movie might only comprise a section of the book. Having said all of that, this movie was a pretentious piece of crap and was 30 minutes too long. All of that Nazi flashback stuff had NOTHING to do with the film (and what the hell was all of the floating paper for?) and could have easily been cut out saving my ass from 15-20 less pain by sitting in those seats. Book, or not the ending would have been MUCH more effective with him constantly having visions of his dead wife because then it might have been a *gasp* actual suprise to someone. Don't even get me started on the continuity where it's sunny in one close up and then cloudy in another.
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