Shutter Island – Review

28Mar10

It is relatively fitting that despite my last review being almost a year ago due to a sincere lack of motivation (might as well be honest, huh?), I return to reviewing ways with a similarly misunderstood movie to 2009′s silly-but-loveable horror-comedy-thing, Drag Me To Hell, with Scorsese’s latest film, Shutter Island, in the spotlight. Although I by no means intend to reveal the marmite-twist, polarising critics and audiences worldwide since release, it is of course a viable discussion point in terms of why it has split audiences to such an extent. So be reassured: no spoilers, as difficult as it may be to restrain myself.

Shutter Island is Martin ‘Criminally Overlooked’ Scorsese’s latest picture, teaming up once again with Leonardo DiCaprio, following The Departed, The Aviator, and… yeah, you get the idea. DiCaprio  is fast transforming into Scorsese’s new De Niro, and with reason too. DiCaprio owes his pretty-boy to tough-nut transformation to Scorsese if anyone, and it is comforting to see the rapidly improving actor being provided with a chance to branch out into new territory once again. It isn’t just unfamiliar territory for DiCaprio, however; this psychological mystery isn’t exactly what you’d classify as a stereotypical Scorsese film. In that respect, Shutter Island is an overwhelming success, providing more mystery and intrigue than M Night Shyamalan has managed in his entire career. The film oozes an uncanny sense of foreboding, with the nightmarish cinematography and haunting score maintaining the mysterious atmosphere throughout.

Ah yes, the music. “Over the top”, “obvious”, and “distracting” are three words commonly used by friends and critics alike to describe the sharp score of the movie. Truth is, none of them are right. Very much the opposite.  Instead, the score is a stunning ode to Hitchcockian cinema, intended to sound sharp and bombastic in order to further the audience’s sense of discomfort. Initially, I agree that it is hard to adjust to, but in retrospect, it is clearly an intentional semiotic choice. I can understand certain audiences missing the point in this case, but as to how anyone calling themselves a ‘critic’ can, well. I suppose it isn’t all that surprising really. To them, I wholeheartedly reccomend the Alfred Hitchcock Boxset, recently reduced to a bargain £18 by a plethora of internet retailers.

Upon watching the boxset, perhaps critics would have also picked up on the countless homages to Hitchockian cinema too. An innocent man accused; check.  Blonde female as an object of desire; check. Characters who cannot be trusted; check. Scorsese openly recycles some of the auteur’s most obvious signature techniques, so again, my only conclusion as to why several critics haven’t picked up on this is sheer ignorance to the most important figure in the history of film. It is the epiphany of postmodern technique, but Scorsese treats the techniques with such care that it simply doesn’t matter.

However, the talking point for many has to be ‘the twist’. “I hated the film; I had the twist sussed in five minutes”, one person told me. “The ending was so obvious”, another. I completely and utterly disagree. We’re simply in an age where audiences are so desensitised to ridiculous revelations (Saw II onwards, I’m looking directly at you) that anything with a guessable twist immediately becomes a ‘poor film’. I concede that I suspected the revelation right from the start of the movie, but the film openly acknowledges that this might be the case, and therefore creates distractions throughout in order to make you wonder whether you are right or not. The reason the twist is so obvious is because you are supposed to expect it. Your interpretation of it, however, depends on where your sympathies lie.

It’s a shame that Shutter Island has received such a mixed response. DiCaprio is a revelation, the cinematography is stunning, and the narrative twists and turns towards an anti-climatic resolution that still manages to evoke satisfaction. Perhaps audiences just expect irrational twists so much that it appeared simply irrelevant, but it is an intricately designed narrative with a solid conclusion.

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An unsettling homage to Hitchcock, Shutter Island has all the ingredients of a classic thriller, in which Scorsese proves he can branch into relatively new territory. The ending will inevitably split audiences, but throw irrational modern expectations out of the window and an early contender for film of the year is staring at you.

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