Day 17 - Shutter Island

 

Released: October 2, 2009

Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo, Ben Kingsley, Michelle Williams

Writer/Director: Laeta Kalogridis/Martin Scorsese

Description: Drama set in 1954, U.S. Marshal Teddy Daniels is investigating the disappearance of a murderess who escaped from a hospital for the criminally insane and is presumed to be hiding nearby.

[Review may contain spoilers. Please watch movie before reading, unless you don't care. Most of these films have already been released for a while, so they should be readily available.]

 

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Twist ending are somewhat of a staple in the thriller genre nowadays. Whether it a movie, film, or video game, there an obsession in our culture to have the rug pull from under our feet in the third act. There are plenty of examples out there from all mediums: "Six Sense", "24", and "Call of Duty: Black Ops" are the first that comes to mind. Obviously some of these are better than others, but that because a good twist ending is extremely rare.

"Shutter Island" almost reaches the level of a "Six Sense", but falls just short. The story and performances in this movie are what make the ending almost legendary.  The story begins as U.S. Marshall Teddy Daniels arrives at Shutter Island to investigate an escaped prisoner. As the investigation continues he begins to uncover a conspiracy to experiment on those incarcerated on the island. But everything is not what it appears to be.

 

DiCaprio's performance is what makes this movie believable, and his reaction to the twist is what puts him on a different level of acting. From "The Departed" to "J. Edgar", he consistently creates complex characters, especially Hoover, whom he embodies instead of impersonates. His desperation as things domino out of control, is slow and steady, and not those finger-snap collapses that most actors employ.

 

Scorsese's direction isn't his best, but he does a pretty good job of setting the mood. The island is spooky and mysterious. I especially enjoyed his use of flashbacks and the insertion of Daniels' wife, played by the extremely underrated Michelle Williams. 

Alright, let's talk about the twist. Hopefully, you have seen the film already, if you haven't and also ignored my warning, you only have yourself to blame. The reveal that DiCaprio's character is a patient in the hospital the whole time, and his name is actually Andrew Laeddis, the man he's been searching for on the island, is pretty brilliant. The confrontation between Kingsley and DiCaprio is amazing to watch. The amazing dramatic moment is ruined when Mark Ruffalo enters the scene.

After finally convincing him that he's not Teddy Daniels -- which features a flashback that has a terrific performance by Williams -- the scene shifts to outside the hospital where Ruffalo gives him one last check; he fails. Or did he?

My conclusion is that after realizing everything that happened, Laeddis makes the decision that he would rather become a "zombie" then live through the nightmare again. So I believe that he didn't revert, but rather, he volunteered to have a lobotomy. The ending, while good, doesn't reach "Six Sense" level because I honestly could see it coming, especially after he "found" another Rachel.

Rating: 8.5/10 -- Twist ending movies that are actually good are as rare as a well directed movie by Sofia Coppola. DiCaprio's performance is top notch, and the interactions between him and Kingsley are a sight to see.