Shutter Island

Disclaimer: I have not read the book so this review is mainly based on the movie adaptation.

This is not your typical movie with an easy plot line and a little thought required. Shutter Island blows your mind away, I tell you. The story is thought-provoking; the directing is brilliant; the acting, especially that of DiCaprio, is powerful. This is a must-watch movie.

Shutter Island is a mind bending mystery-thriller film. I was actually uncertain if I should watch it for I really thought that this movie was a horror flick based on the trailers I previously saw. I guess it was marketed that way. Yes it was dark and creepy, but it wasn’t scary. Don’t expect scenes that would make you jump off your seats although there was one near towards the end and that was it! Don’t expect background music that makes you scream. Scorsese, the director, was brilliant by not putting over-the-top creepy music.

Shutter Island is that kind of  movie that will have you enthralled the entire time and will challenge you psychologically. You would have to use your brain cells during and after the movie.   Just like the character of Di Caprio, as an audience, you would have to figure out yourself  what’s real and reel. You can’t help but go through with his psychosis..wondering if he’s really insane or everything was a set up.  I was actually second-guessing if what I was seeing was real or not especially towards the last 30 minutes of the film! After watching, I had to figure out which scenes I saw were real and which ones were hallucinations or delusions of DiCaprio.

Some of the scenes of the movie, especially the part where Di Caprio’s character went to the cells of the inmates, remind me of Silence of the Lambs.  It has a dark style or Gothic gloom on it and this is one of the reasons why the movie is creepy.

Yes, Shutter Island is a complex movie but you don’t need to be a rocket scientist to understand it. It has the most-talked about ending. The ending would left you stunned. It is open for interpretation. It’s up to you how you would decipher the ending especially when DiCaprio’s character said, “Which would be worse, to live as a monster or to die as good man?”. Some may feel that it’s incomplete rather than satisfying. Regardless,  the movie is not just mindbending but entertaining as well. This is that kind of movie that you would have to watch again after knowing the twist and turns  for further clarity.

Now let’s talk about acting. The acting of the majority of the casts was top-notched but I would have to say my darling Leonardo DiCaprio stood out. He is amazing in this movie. You could really feel his intensity and the emotions in his eyes looked real.  We all know that he is a good actor but in this film, he is genius!!!

Once again, Scorsese – the director of The Daparted, Gangs of New York, Cape Fear, Goodfellas – did a awesome job! I really think this movie should win an Oscar. I will be appalled if this movie won’t receive accolades it deserves.

If intellectually stimulating movie is your cup of tea, you must watch Shutter Island.

Here’s the trailer: