Review:
Shutter Island: Lets You In and Never Lets You Go

Martin Scorsese is known as one of the most visionary directors in the field. Like Tim Burton and the Coen Brothers, he has a distinct style that is substantially different than the Hollywood norm. Shutter Island is no different. Well it’s a little different. It’s more of a mind frak.

The story revolves around a US Marshall who comes to an island that houses a mental hospital, where he believes experiments are going on, and he wants to get to the bottom of it. Despite the way that sounds, don’t expect action and guns. This movie is a psychological thriller, and little more.

As soon as the lights go down, you immediately realize you’re in for something special. The music pounds angrily right from the get go, and doesn’t stop. Immediately you’re keyed in that something isn’t right. A lot of the movie is focused on disturbing you, and it succeeds quite well in the regard.

There’s a strong feel of retro-filmmaking throughout this movie. The score mentioned above is very reminiscent of classic Hitchcock suspense thrillers. In fact, I found there was a strong sense of Hitchcock in Scorsese’s latest film. The atmosphere and suspense is deadly, and if you have a weak heart, I would advise against seeing this film. I kinda wish I hadn’t seen it, it kinda ruined my day. Still, if the quality of success in film is based upon making viewers feel, this film deserves a gold star.

The cinematography is beautiful, and shots are framed expertly, but being a Scorsese flick, that is no surprise. What was surprising to me was the peculiar and off putting editing. I’m not sure if it was deliberate or not, but I was noticing constant and blatant continuity errors. They were so bad that they must have been deliberate, perhaps to increase the feel of unease. And they worked...but I didn’t feel it helped absorb me in the story.

Also, the pacing is dreadfully slow. A constant attempt to keep you uneasy led to awkwardly long holds on certain shots, and a lot of strange minutia that while integral to the experience also pads the length. You’ll be on the edge of your seat, but also wishing the movie would get to the point already...a point which takes a long time to show itself. It’s a twisty ride, but one that will feel as long as it is.