Found this review in my drafts folder of my iPad and thought I'd add it to the collection.
It might be kind of a stretch, but I'm classing Shutter Island in my Boston film category because it takes place supposedly on an island in the Boston Harbor and because we recently received it on blu-ray from Netflix. Location is the only thing it will have in common with the others which are mostly Affleck brothers creations.
Martin Scorsese's attempt to create a Kubrick-esque piece of mind-bending film fell a little flat for me. In general, it was an entertaining film and I like the concept, but something wasn't quite right, despite an wonderful cast including Leonardo DiCaprio, Ben Kingsley.
The film begins with US Marshall Edward "Teddy" Daniels (DiCaprio) arriving on Shutter Island, a secure facility for the criminally insane, via ferry. His ostensible purpose, the investigation of the disappearance of a dangerous and delusional patient, but as he admits to his partner, he is really searching for his wife's killer, a man he believes to be interned on the island. Even this mission begins to give way to a deeper search for the truth as reality begins to become a moving target. He knows something is not right, but he can't quite figure out what it is.
If dead wife, Leo, and shifting reality ring bells for you, you are not alone. The themes bear a strange similarity to those in Inception, though the two films are vastly different. Still if you only want to see one, I would highly recommend Inception; I found it far superior (I reviewed it here).
Shutter Island just didn't quite transcend the ordinary. Shutter Island wasn't a bad film, but you hope for better with a combination like Scorsese and DiCaprio.
I am a fan of ‘Inception.’ Although, it took me a few times to watch it, and my friends helped point out subtle clues to the film. I like films I have to piece together or watch several times to see things you may have missed before. I’m a huge DiCaprio fan, and there are very few films of his I do not like. I was talking about this movie with a co worker from Dish. Neither one of us has seen this yet, but I decided to add this to my Blockbuster @home line up today. The great thing is I have the option to move this movie to the top of my list, and get it in the mail in a few days, and once I’m done I can just return this to the store and wait for my new movie in the mail.
ReplyDeleteIf you love Leo, you should definitely check it out. I don't think you'll be disappointed. I just happen to prefer Inception.
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