Shutter Island has been on my movie radar for over half a year now, since it was promoted during summer 2009 for an October release that got pushed back. Rumor has it that it was pushed back because the studio couldn't afford an Oscar push for this film on top campaigns for Star Trek and Up in the Air. Don't know how much truth is there, but if that's the case I think they made a mistake. With Scorese and Leo, how could you go wrong? But, on to the movie itself. Don't worry, no direct spoilers here.
Shutter Island is a slow burning film. It takes you on this ride that you just need to sit and enjoy and see where it takes you. The intercuts with dream sequences and memories at first confuses and confounds, but as more and more is revealed, you find that everything is important. The dreams are perhaps more important that the reality we're presented with.
The reality we're presented is slowly eroded away as the protagonist becomes more and more unreliable. I absolutely love movies with unreliable narrators/protagonists - some of my favorite movies are Memento and Fight Club. These movies keep you guessing and prove to be the most unpredictable.
I want to see this film again, to see how all the pieces fall into place. At first, I thought this was a film noir with a similar message to One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest. But, you come to realize that this is a very different film, taking you on a path you didn't expect from the beginning. In the theater, I overheard a girl in the audience say "oh, I knew from the first scene..." and I just need to call out bullshit there. If you go into this film completely unspoiled, you won't guess the ending.
I can see why there are some people out there who hated this film though, the ending may not satisfy you. However, I absolutely loved it and it kept me thinking and discussing the movie all weekend.
Shutter Island is a visually beautiful film that grips you from beginning to end. I highly recommend it!
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