3 out of 5

Director: Martin Scorsese

I would think that for any seasoned movie watched, there arent really many surprises here. Instead, derive pleasure from watching Shutter Island as a display of confident and seasoned film-making from Scorsese, who procures great acting from his entire cast. The story opens with U.S. Marshalls Leo DiCaprio and Mark Ruffalo visting Shutter Island, which houses a center from the criminally insane run by Ben Kinglsey, a visionary who hopes to rehabilitate those whom society has completely rejected. The Marshalls are investigating a disappearance, but information is oddly hard to come by, and then a storm and odd sequence of events keeps DiCaprio and Ruffalo stuck on the island, dressed in patients garb. The camera plays tricks on the audience and there are some windy dream sequences and then maybe things are different then were led to believe but maybe not… As mentioned, you sort of get the idea, and I dont think they were really trying to hide it so much as make the journey valuable to watch, which it is. So theres not much to reflect upon here, save some interesting words from DiCaprio at the conclusion, and thats why the mid-range star rating. But its still prime entertainment, a beautiful, scary, and gripping display from a film-maker whos learned the business well, and, as with Departed, has shown that hes adept at different shades of his chosen gritty genre, and able to make it successful without the CGI and explosion crutches on which many modern directors rely.