Island of Shutters

The cringing kind.

To be honest, the more I think about Martin Scorsese's SHUTTER ISLAND the more I like it. Was it his finest work? Probably not. From the perspective of fine film, he's done better. The complete package wasn't there. But, it was an interesting mystery, even if the "surprise" was inevitable from the first 15-20 mins. It was not even as well kept a secret, from the point of the narrative, as A BEAUTIFUL MIND's similar concepts.

So the premise, the themes, the concept, have all been done before. I was reminded a lot of MEMENTO, both in the character, the story, the ideas, and in the eventual dilemma, the exposed struggle. Sure, the subterfuge may have gone on for a lot longer, but in the end, it was just as obvious.

But where they succeeded was in both making an enjoyable, entertaining film, and in the overarching ruse that is portrayed, and eventually revealed, which brings new life to the concept. Part of me wants to say it was a cop-out, while the other accepts it.

There are elements that confused, that don't seem quite right, which in a perfect film might stick out a lot less, but then there were all the clues and retrospective moments that make you smile and enjoy the whole experience at the end. There were tense times, that weren't artificially induced, and a scene in a wire-caged stairwell that was downright frightening in composition.

For the first time, Scorsese employs some pretty blatant CGI, though used fairly well, in some jarring "dream" sequences, which you can later reconcile. The opening cinematography felt very artificial, though this did quickly lapse, and I was likewise wondering what happened to his longtime editor in the beginning.

DiCaprio was great as he always is in most of his work, and Mark Ruffalo was acceptable, although, once again, we can stomach some of what may strike us as odd, in the end explanation. Ben Kingsley was as one would expect in a role that really didn't have a lot of meat to it.

Although it may not have been exactly what it was promised to be in the trailers, it was what I hoped it to be, in style and content. In the end, I don't think the finished work was as polished as it could have been. If some of the elements has been honed down a little more, things tightened up, and the story reworked a bit, it could have been a phenomenal picture.

Whereas people accused Christopher Nolan of simply working a gimmick in MEMENTO, I always disagreed. I do feel here that, because the film didn't reach the heights it could have, it did lean back on somewhat of gimmicky qualities.

Still, I enjoyed it, and wouldn't mind an additional viewing.