Thursday, Feb. 25, 2010

The Movie Guy’s Review: Journey to insanity with Shutter Island

I’m going to come out and admit it. I’m not a big Martin Scorsese fan. It’s probably because his genre of choice and biggest impact on filmmaking and culture is the gangster and crime noir.

I respect the genre, and as a comic book fan, I respect those who recognize the humanity in bad guys, and do it believably, while making it clear that these are bad men.

Scorsese does it with the best of them, but there are movies in his repertoire I haven’t seen yet, like The Godfather. One of these days, I’ll get around to it. But I have to admit, I really enjoy it when Scorsese breaks type and delves into different genres. He bowled me over with The Aviator — his tale of the genius and madness of American tycoon and flying enthusiast, Howard Hughes. And now, he went into Alfred Hitchcock territory with Shutter Island.

Leonardo DiCaprio plays U.S. Marshal Teddy Daniels. He’s assigned to investigate the disappearance of a patient from Shutter Island, a Massachusetts hospital for the criminally insane.

However, as Daniels and his partner work the case, they’re blocked one turn after another. Daniels begins to question his grip on reality, wondering whether what he is perceiving is truly real, or if he is becoming as unhinged as many of the inmates seem to be.

Even the chief of the hospital, Dr. John Cawley (Ben Kingsley), seems to be steering him in wrong directions and Daniels can’t fathom why. Making things more complicated, the island is struck by a hurricane. For the duration of the storm, there is no communication or transportation.

Surrounded by concrete walls, bars and people with decidedly skewed perspectives, Daniels descends into madness.

What will be the reasons, the source for all this turmoil, when the storm recedes?

It takes a crafty filmmaker to master the thriller, especially the twist thriller. Some directors have made such films their bread and butter, like Hitchcock. Some, like Stanley Kubrick (Eyes Wide Shut), have dabbled in the genre. Yet others, like M. Night Shyamalan (Sixth Sense), have focused on the twist, or the emotional journey, depending on whom you ask. Scorsese is more like Kubrick, a dabbler, a journeyman visiting from another land to sample Thrillerville’s unique flavors. This film won’t offer anything new, as far as this genre goes. But the casting is good, the production values are sharp and the twist is pretty startling, if you don’t see it coming. Shutter Island — you definitely wouldn’t want to be consigned there, but it may be worth your time to visit.