The new horror film, “Shutter Island,” based on the popular novel by Dennis Lehane, represents a mid-range and mid-achievement for Scorsese in his post-Oscar phase every way. The film is dense in imagery but not rich enough in ideas, almost consistently entertaining but not entirely gripping, stylistically overwrought without being truly poignant.
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World-premiering at the 2010 Berlin Film Fest, “Shutter Island,” which will be released by Paramount in the U.S. on February 19, may divide critics, but should do reasonably well at the box-office (The film, touted to be Oscar contender, was pushed back from its original late fall date).
Gradually, it becomes clear that Teddy has come to Shutter Island devoted to solving a mystery, but that he’s also burdened by his own agenda and secrets. But is her reliable? There’s more to Teddy’s journey than there appears to be.
Though the couple of sleuths, elegantly dressed in brown and beige suits, is starting to build trust, they’re always suspicious about each other’s intentions. At one point, it seems that Chuck is out there to protect Teddy, but later on, it feels he’s pushing him towards a downfall, if not reckoning.
Then there’s Dr. Naehring (Max von Sydow) a former Nazi and one of Ashecliffe’s most ominous and threatening figures, running around with needle in his hand, ready for action. Dr. Naehring represents the other (negative?) side of the psychiatric profession.
Dolores appears, as herself or as an apparition, in mostly bloody, dream-induced deluges.
At first, the film seems to be just another intriguing noir detective story but, as it goes along, surprising (even shocking) events and new layers emerge, along with roller coaster twists, with characters getting stranger and stranger.
(Not to worry: All of the story’s carefully-built skeletons of secrets are eventually exposed, if not explained). The story is like an archeological dig, made up of layers under layers.
With a running time of 140 minutes, the picture over extends its welcome by at least 20 minutes or so.
Watching, or rather experiencing, “Shutter Island” is like being in a nightmare you can’t wake up from, a nightmare that constantly keeps changing, getting darker and darker, stranger and stranger.
Reviewed on February 4, 2010.
Cast:
Director: Martin Scorsese
Screenwriter: Laeta Kalogridis
Based on a novel by: Dennis Lehane
Producers: Mike Medavoy, Arnold W. Messer, Bradley J. Fischer, Martin Scorsese
Executive producers: Chris Brigham, Laeta Kalogridis, Dennis Lehane, Gianni Nunnari, Louis Phillips
Director of photography: Robert Richardson
Production designer: Dante Ferretti
Music: Robbie Robertson
Costume designer: Sandy Powell
Editor: Thelma Schoonmaker