Ralph's Movie Reviews: SHUTTER ISLAND

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

SHUTTER ISLAND

Thriller

PRINCIPAL CAST MEMBERS
Leonardo DiCaprio: U.S. Marshal Teddy Daniels
Mark Ruffalo: his partner Chuck Aule
John Carroll Lynch: Deputy Warden McPherson
Ben Kingsley: Dr. John Cawley, Chief psychiatrist at Ashecliffe Hospital
Max Von Sydow: Senior physician Dr. Jeremiah Naehring
Michelle Williams: Teddy’s wife Dolores
Patricia Clarkson: patient Rachel Solando

REVIEW
This is Leonardo’s show: he really gets a chance to show his acting skills and pulls it off beautifully. Perhaps his best performance ever? Not that the others are far behind mind you except for Ruffalo: he plays his character as a B-movie mob guy gangster that comes across as less than real, almost cartoonish.

The music is a strong element in setting the scene, even before the opening credits we know we’re into something mysterious. The camera work and overall look of the film is notable as well.

However with a running time approaching two and a half hours many will be anxious for this mystery thriller to end as it seems to go on forever.

CLASSIFICATION

for disturbing violent content, language and some nudity.

FOR NITPICKERS ONLY
• While travelling by boat to the island Teddy and Chuck are standing in the corner of a railing. Although they do not move, when they arrive part of the railing is no longer there.
• Dachau, a World War II concentration camp seen in flashback was liberated on 29 April 1945, well after the winter snow had melted.
• Although supposedly dead, the young boy laying down on the grass on the right hand side moves his left foot ever so slightly.

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my ratings system

I've always thought that telling too much about a movie or warning someone about a "twist" at the end deprives the person the pleasure of seeing it as it unfolds, so I don’t do it. You may not always agree with my rating of course, but at least it is an unbiased opinion unlike some of the full time professional reviewers who are on the studio’s payroll.

A few movies you won’t see any review from me:

Scary movies: I’m the world’s biggest chicken and just hate getting the crap scared out of me. I can handle an unexpected door slam, that kind of thing, but a movie that keeps you on the edge of your seat…not for me. Sorry.
Movies geared to the young teen and pre-teen crowd with dialog comprising mostly of crude remarks, awful jokes and lots of rude, socially unacceptable body noises. "The Spy that Shagged Me" comes to mind. (I wonder if the kids know what the British verb to shag someone really means? They probably do; I bet you it’s the parents who haven’t a clue).
Sometimes Hollywood gets on a roll and they produce a series of movies that are all very much alike. For example movies about the CIA were very popular and so we had The Bourne Identity and Bad Company and The Sum of All Fears. They all had the same basic theme and it becomes repetitive. I will see some, but not all of them.

FYI this is my rating system:

0 stars = Terrible: so bad it’s not worth talking about; in fact, I’d pay you not to go
= Lousy: I actually got up and walked out before the end it was just that bad (no kidding)
= Not so good: thought about walking out but hung in just in case it got better (but it didn’t)
= A so-so good movie: I enjoyed it somewhat but wasn’t all that crazy about it
= A really good movie: I recommend seeing it
= An excellent movie you just got to see! I suggest you put it on your "To Do List" it’s that good.

some favourite websites

For those into it, Nitpickers at

has more movie mistakes than you could ever imagine. My contributions can be seen if you check out the Nitpickers Registry and click on the link Nitpickers Listed by Nitpicker Number, select the group 45,401 - 45,500 and drill down to number 45411. Although I have 56 nitpicks to my credit, some have almost 2,000. You wonder sometimes where they find the time to do it.