Take Trip to Riveting ‘Shutter Island’ With Leonardo DiCaprio

Submitted by BrianTT on February 19, 2010 - 2:54pm

CHICAGO – “Shutter Island” is a riveting trip through a cinematic funhouse led by one of the best filmmakers of all time in Martin Scorsese, who fully employs the copious skills of his most talented collaborators including star Leonardo DiCaprio. It is a technical masterpiece that gets under your skin and stays there for days.

Rating: 5.0/5.0

With award caliber work by DiCaprio, co-star Michelle Williams, cinematographer Robert Richardson, production designer Dante Ferretti, costume designer Sandy Powell, editor Thelma Schoonmaker, and, of course, Martin Scorsese, “Shutter Island” has already divided some viewers and critics, some of which think that it is nothing more than a masterful technical exercise, as if that doesn’t have value in a world where so many films display no technical expertise whatsoever. This is an all-star team of filmmaking and they’ve delivered one of the most mesmerizing films in a long time.

Read Brian Tallerico’s full review of “Shutter Island” in our reviews section.

We are introduced to “Shutter Island” lead U.S. Marshall Teddy Daniels (Leonardo DiCaprio) in a physically ill state on a boat travelling to the titular location, a desolate chunk of land that holds a mental hospital for the criminally insane. He will never look quite right as his physical state clearly hides more demons than just seasickness.

A “guest” of the island named Rachel Solando has gone missing in the middle of the night. She was there at lockdown and she wasn’t there in the morning but her shoes are still in her room and there’s a serious storm on the horizon. Dr. Cawley (Sir Ben Kingsley) explains to Teddy and his partner Chuck (Mark Ruffalo) that Rachel drowned her three children and then set them up at the kitchen table as if nothing had happened. Where did she go? What does the cryptic note she left mean? What other secrets might the island hold?

‘Shutter Island’ stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo, Sir Ben Kingsley, Michelle Williams, Ted Levine, John Carroll Lynch, Patricia Clarkson, Emily Mortimer, Jackie Earle Haley, Elias Koteas, and Max Von Sydow. It was written by Laeta Kalogridis from the book by Dennis Lehane and directed by Martin Scorsese. It opened on February 19th, 2010. It is rated R.

Continuing reading for Brian Tallerico’s full “Shutter Island” review.