Feb 18, 2010

Shutter Island

*** out of ****

Though not of the caliber of "Taxi Driver," "Raging Bull," nor "GoodFellas," Martin Scorsese's latest release, "Shutter Island," is an enthralling psychological thriller (à la "Cape Fear") with an impressive leading performance from the always impressive Leonardo DiCaprio. Paramount delayed the release of this film by several months (seemingly due to "economic downturn"), but the frequently invoked reason for a film's delayed release (poor quality) is not the case here. The elaborate narrative of U.S. Marshals called to an island mental institution to investigate the disappearance of a "patient" (as opposed to "prisoner"), "Shutter Island" will keep you guessing until its surprising conclusion. In fact, on reflection, the film pulls a "Sixth Sense" when viewers realize that they had all of the clues, but they did not realize it. More great work from Scorsese and his regular cast of collaborators, including Thelma Schoonmaker (editing), Robert Richardson (cinematography), and Robbie Robertson ("music supervision," compiling mostly classical - and mostly chilling - pieces). 2010, 138 mins.