Directed by Martin Scorsese, Shutter Island is based upon the popular novel by Dennis Lehane, whose Mystic River was brought to the screen by another Oscar®-winning director, Clint Eastwood. And many of the misgivings I had with that film are the same as those I have for Shutter Island. Like Eastwood, Scorsese is not a subtle director. His films can be very showy, with a flamboyant, exaggerated style that at times takes you out of the story. It often feels that he’s somehow trying to compensate for any lacking there may be in the narrative. In this instance, there is some justification, as the screenplay by Laeta Kalogridis never quite holds together.
Following the course of this psychological thriller as it twists and turns requires a commitment to question everything put in front of you. As we follow U.S. Marshall Teddy Daniels (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his partner Chuck Aule (Mark Ruffalo) on their investigation into the mysterious disappearance of a patient at a hospital for the criminally insane, the distinction between reality and fantasy is constantly blurred. Scorsese’s saturated palette lends the film a dream-like air, adding further to the overall sense of uncertainty.
Set in 1954, we first meet Daniels and his new colleague as they take a boat trip to the remote and barren Shutter Island. From the moment they are first met by the Deputy Warden (John Carroll Lynch), then later talk with the Chief Warden, Dr Cawley (Ben Kingsley), it’s clear that the hospital staff are reluctant to help the Marshalls in their investigation into the apparent disappearance of the murderess Rachel Solando. Almost immediately, Daniels begins to suffer headaches and has frequent flashbacks. He is haunted by the horrific scenes he witnessed at the liberation of the Dachau concentration camp. He is also disturbed by images of his wife Dolores (Michelle Williams) who died in a fire at their apartment two years prior.
DiCaprio is an accomplished actor who has worked hard to try to fill the rich selection of roles Scorsese has provided him with since they first collaborated on Gangs of New York in 2002. But at times his baby face is ill-suited to the rough nature of the characters he’s portraying. Here it’s difficult to see the horrors Daniels has witnessed etched on his callow features. DiCaprio spends the entire movie with a knotted brow as he endeavors to imbue Daniels with the requisite sense of woe.
The film’s ultimate twist is what everything hinges on, but by that time I had lost patience with a film that offered little meaning or coherence. Constantly being led down dead ends becomes exasperating after a point. It is difficult to engage in something when you no longer believe anything you’re seeing. Audiences may leave on a high, wowed by a final turn that is visible long before its arrival, but even so, that doesn’t justify the weariness that preceded it.
Kevin Murphy
