It’s been a while since we did one of these, and it’ll make a nice distraction from the Oscar season. Chad has already been pretty candid about what he thinks of Martin Scorsese’s latest, following on the heels of Guy’s review out of Berlin. But what say you? Tell us your thoughts in the comments section below.
Comments
91 responses to “Tell us what you thought of ‘Shutter Island’”
I’ll simply comment on the image above and say that in the movie it’s the most fake background since Hitchcock’s old process screens. Even the car interiors in Eyes Wide Shut looked more realistic.
Maybe that’s the point?
I enjoyed it more than many led me to believe, but I will say I need to see it again and let it settle some before forming a more concrete opinion, but generally it worked for me; and worked well.
Oh, I’m not saying it wasn’t. I’m just saying it was a bad choice.
I really enjoyed it until the end. It reminded me way too much of Memento, and it was such an obvious twist that I had actually (foolishly) dismissed it from the start of the movie. Consequently I was surprised by the end… but not in a good way.
I was really jarred by it after seeing it, but a day later, I think I flat out love it. Masterfully crafted, great acting, fascinating script, amazing soundtrack, and enough talking material to last til the next decade.
Also, I’d consider this EASILY one of the most demented, fucked up mainstream films of all time. It might even be the blackest film of Scorsese’s career.
I think Shutter Island is a very effective character study and thematically it works nicely in Scorsese’s oeuvre. It was done very well for what the screenplay consisted of. Frankly I think they were a couple drafts away from making the plot as compelling as the theme but in the end they let the character relegate the plot to a background element. DiCaprio, imo, gave one of his best performances to date. He’s really starting to round out his own body of work now and I’m a huge fan
I was originally so hyped for it but after so many reviews like Guy’s I was really worried about it, luckily it met my earlier expectations and I loved it. The best film of the year so far and possibly one of the best from last year, to bad it got moved. I think I need to re watch it a few times before I can be sure about what I think about it. On a more negative note I had some major issues with the score at the beginning of the film especially during that first car ride, and some of the green screen looked unbelievably fake. All in all a film I loved with some great performances.
Have you seen it Kris? What are your thoughts on it?
I basically agree with Casey Fiore above. Good character study. Very interesting thematic motifs. And yes, Leo gives one of his better performances; though, particularly in the last half.
I just think this was a very good (not great) mindfu*k movie. Gorgeous to watch, startingly edited, & while some things are painfully predictable, not everything is. I dug it.
And it seems like most of the theater did, too. Tons of buzz leaving the theater. I understand why some people would not like/get it.
But I also think that a portion of those critics may be capitalizing on a … Scorsese-isn’t doing-his-usual-and-I-don’t-like-it-therefore-the-movie-sucks standpoint. But that’s just my opinion.
I also think it was a good idea to put it in Feb. becasue aother than the possibility of a random Best Pic nom (cause of the overall decent reviews, & film team), I think we’d only be seeing the slight possibility of noms (in 2009) for DiCaprio, & Schoonmaker. Robertson would be fliying on the Basterds train for cinematography. And while Michelle Williams, Emily Mortimer, & Patricia Clarkson are quite good, I don’t think they’d have been nom-worthy, either.
Did they use the preview letting us know who patient 67 before we saw the movie on purpose?
I liked Leo’s last line to Ruffalo.
I liked that the music shoved genre down our throat. (reminded me of Cape Fear in that way)
The rats were effective.
The fake backgrounds were fun in recalling some old classics.
Occasionally, the long dialogue scenes had me exiting the diegesis.
Leo should be the Oscar frontrunner for 2010
This is one superb performance
Anxious to catch this film in a couple days…I get the feeling audiences might enjoy this film more then critics (similar to The Shining) because they will be watching it with a less critical eye. This genre of film is always easy to find faults, and shortcomings with, so it doesn’t surprise me that the critical response has been mixed. I love the work Dante Ferretti has done in the past for films like Gangs of New York and Sweeney Todd, so at the very least, I expect the film to be visually intoxicating.
This was an excellent film. Scorsese does a hell of a job directing and DiCaprio gives a phenomenal performance. Scorsese brilliantly combines a complex plot with a complex character study and although parts of the ending were predictable, the collective whole was mind blowing. The last scene was really haunting. I see DiCaprio getting nominated for an Academy Award, even if it is early in the year.
Have you seen it Kris? If so, what did you think?
Loved it. Looking back on it, yes the ending was maybe a tad bit anticlimactic, but I can forgive that considering it is adapted from a previous source. And the suspense building up to it, regardless, was brilliantly executed in my opinion.
And I have to give major props to Leo Dicaprio. This is one of his best performances–this may be his year, also with Inception coming out. I also thought Michelle Williams and Patricia Clarkson were quite extraordinary in their supporting parts as well. Highly recommend seeing it!
Excellent film. I think Dicaprio gives his best performance yet, or right up there with his in The Departed. The cinematography was absolutely gorgeous and should be there next year for the Oscars. Though I had already read the book, the film still gripped me throughout. I agree with the above posts that it is a very good character study. I thought Michelle Williams was quite good in her limited screen time, along with Mark Ruffalo. Dicaprio should and deserves a nomination for his work.
Everything in the beginning of the film is there for effect: the fake background, the clunky first dialogue between DiCaprio and Ruffalo, and the overbearing music until the reach the gates. It’s at once an homage to the films of the period the film is set in, as well as an attempt to underline the facade of the whole thing. I think repeat viewings will bear this out.
Also, it’s not about any kind of cheap twist, but more a growing realization as the story progresses. This is not the gimmicky thriller that disappointed critics are making it out to be, but a dark and demented tragedy.
Also, where’s your review, Kris?
The whole Scorsese-DiCaprio collaboration is getting old.
Grant, while I agree, this film, to me, is great enough to override that for now.
I hope they don’t work again, at least for quite some time.
I thought it was brilliant, and in a lot of ways, it’s better than “The Departed” or “The Aviator”. DiCaprio was fantastic. It’s an incredibly hard role, one that requires the actor to be clenched from the beginning, like Al Pacino in “The Godfather Part II”. Every single actor makes a big impression, even the cameo appearances by Jackie-Earle Hayley, Patricia Clarkson, and Emily Mortimer. From a technical standpoint, the film is PERFECT. Richardson’s cinematography is gorgeous, and Dante Feretti’s set design is astounding. Schoonmaker proves why she is, in this humble writer’s opinion, the best editor in the business. Scorsese was clearly drawing upon Hitchcock the whole time. The film is not an oscar film like a lot thought it would be, though it could have been in the Ten I think, with some tech awards. But it’s a Hitchcockian thriller start to finish. Fucking brilliant.
Hmm. On the one hand, Chard Hartigan is rarely wrong, but on the other, I actually liked The Aviator and The Departed.
I liked it but not loved it the first time around. However I do believe there’s a movie here that can be really dissected and analyzed if one takes the time. I loved the technical qualities of the film and Leo’s brilliant and haunting performance. The overstated music and editing gave the movie a haunting eeriness but some of the expository talk-scenes took me out of the movie and were slightly dull.
great movie. reminded me of Angel Heart. very chilling, suspensful and satisfying. Nice use of colors. Great to see a master of film trying different things.
Good film. Wonderful filmmaking and performances… unsatisfying story and source material.
I love Max von Sydow.
But yes, I would nominate (at this point, of course) DiCaprio for Best Actor and Richardson for cinematography for sure. And when Max von Sydow asks Leo if he knows the German word for dream… oh man! What a great interaction that was. I would definitely consider von Sydow for Best Supporting Actor even though his role was limited. I know people shouldn’t get “make up” nominations, but he was truly robbed out of a nomination in “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly.”
It felt uneven and awkward throughout a lot of the film, which I found surprising. Still, it was fun, and the twist in the film was much less “Gotcha!” than its novel counterpart, so that was nice.
I also thought DiCaprio did really good. SO much better than the fake accent in Gangs of New York.
I really loved it! I thought that the twist was great in that it could be interpreted in many different ways. It was beautifully shot, I mean the snow a lone was breath taking. And yeah Leo needs a damn Oscar.
I too am curious to hear Kris’s take. Surely, he’s seen it. Frankly, I knew I was going to be in the minority but I’m still baffled at what people are getting out of this film.
Not perfect, but I dug it a lot. A lot. And yeah, The fakeness of the CGI backgrounds is too noticeable to not be intentional. Just another element in such a visually interesting film from Marty.
I was unprepared for the bleakness of the whole thing. Overall I like it – but not enough to own on home video. I’m in no hurry to see it again. Leo’s Oscar moment comes in the picture’s final flashback – he’s so good. Mark Ruffalo – I hope this cutie gets some attention from either this film or The Kids Are All Right – he deserves an overdue Oscar nomination. Michelle Williams’ character was too unlikable for me.
Strange mind f..k of a flick. Lots of stuff lends itself to analysis. Some of the dream sequences, particularly the first are right up there with the best I’ve ever seen in any movie — I’m talking Bunuel here (Los Olividados comes to mind). The mismatched shots, differing POV and color changes weren’t there as mistakes either. There are things that I just have to see again. Some tremendous work from the actors and Leo D. had some heavy lifting to do which he pretty much pulled off. That’s the most emotional work he’s done as an actor, ever, that felt really interiorized. I can easily understand the confusion in the reviews, too. This ain’t an easy film to love but there’s still plenty of meat in it if you’re willing to look deeper. I’m deeply annoyed at the critics who seem to think other critics liked it because they were just giving Scorsese a pass because he’s Scorsese. That’s a huge, huge crock in my opinion.
It’s balls-to-the-wall FANTASTIC.
i was disappointed that, like many others, i figured out the “twist” just from watching the first trailer (which seemed like eons ago). so throughout the movie i was desperately hoping i was wrong and that there was some other, unprecedented road this movie would go down, but no. having said that, while a flawed movie, it’s still an interesting one. i saw it in a 21+ theater, i.e., everyone was drunk by the end, and when the movie cut to black there was a very sharp collective WTF from the audience. perhaps it was the booze, perhaps not, but it’s been a while since i’ve seen a movie where people had that reaction. (correction: it’s been a while since i’ve seen a mainstream movie that elicited that sort of response from the audience.) as others have said, dicaprio is on fire here. this totally reminded me why i used to like the guy so much pre-titanic. this is easily his best, most intense role since the basketball diaries. i also really liked michelle williams, even though her part is limited. dunno why people keep fawning over someone like rachel mcadams when michelle williams has consistently been noteworthy in almost every role she’s had in the past few years. but i digress.
anyway, interesting movie. not saying it’s omfg awesome or that it’s shit, but interesting. chad can go pound sand.
also, am i the only one who can’t stop chuckling at the mere thought of kingsley’s ” . . . straight the walls”? the uber-dramatic pause, fanning out the hands–brilliant.
I absolutely loved it. The cinematography, score, and acting were all fantastic. Can’t wait to see it again. I went with 6 other people who all loved it as well. Chad’s baffled by the praise, and I’m equally baffled by all the criticism. I don’t see how you could sit through this and not be able to appreciate it at least on some level.
Oh, and as for the twist, yeah they used a cliche, but I thought they made it work just fine.
Don’t think we needed to see the flashback of Williams’ death at the end of the film…it could have been cut and the movie wold have been fine (and much shorter). Thought Scorsese was indulging Dicaprio with that final “oscar-moment” flashback sequence. It was borderline cringe worthy. Felt rumblings of quiet laughter in the theater.
On the whole, a very good thriller, definitely have to see it twice. And Ben Kingsley can do no wrong!
Chad: As you tweeted, you walked out of it. You really have no room to talk about it, I must say, least of all because you ended up missing the overall point of the film.
Anyway, in response to all the clamoring: it’s a masterful piece of cinema, in my opinion.
The “twist,” by the way, is so far from the point of the film. The real “twist,” vis a vis DiCaprio’s final line, is what elevates the story to something more, and the way the entire film was handled cinematically, almost conceived as a style exercise, aesthetically clunky for the sheer reason that we’re watching a charade unfold, again, masterful.
I loved it. Watching it for a second time was even more enjoyable.
Didn’t find the final sequence cringeworthy in the slightest. The one part that might have induced a little laughter was a certain entirely relevant exchange between Teddy and Dolores. If anything, it was muted without being overblown for something that awful. The audience I was with was quiet during most of it. Do you really think this was meant to be DiCaprio’s oscar moment? PULLEEZE. There’s a lot going on here. First off, the whole idea of Laidis as monster comes to mind but I don’t want to go into any prickly details. Just suffice to say there is a scene in there that echoes a certain (early) classic horror film moment. And that’s just for starters.
Kris: I couldn’t agree more. I think this film is going to be studied down the road, and looked back as one of Scorsese’s finest films, and a huge watershed moment in the genre.
I love this film with a passion because the more I think about it, the more I appreciate it. DiCaprio gives what would have been one of 2009’s finest performances. This film is far from a horror movie; it’s a complex character study of the first order.
Chad didn’t even finish watching the film?! And is sitting here talking about how bad it is, and saying he doesn’t understand what people are getting out of it?
Kris, you really should demand a bit more from people who are going to be posting articles on this site. Can’t even sit through a film by Martin Scorsese? That’s lame as hell.
Lazarus: You speak the truth.
Chad can leave a film if he wants to. He’s done it frequently and is usually forthcoming about it. That’s fine. I like having that kind of subversiveness around. I just thought I’d out him (though he did mention it on Twitter — follow and berate him here).
I was pleasantly surprised, after all the mud flinging about the supposedly overblown CG and schlocky acting, to find it a thematically, tonally, and aesthetically consistent piece of work. I think it’s inhibited by weak source material, and I am still waiting for a Lehane adaptation that doesn’t hinge on missing/dead children and bad/murderous mothers, but it’s compelling and watchable to the end.
So, Kris, obviously a contender for your top ten of 2010, or what I reading too much into “masterful piece of cinema”?
Of course he has the right to walk out. But it seems odd to offer such strong thoughts on a movie when one can’t even be bothered to sit through the whole thing.
Part of it is that walking out of a movie is a huge pet peeve of mine, as I find it incredible rude and a waste of negative energy. If you pay the cost of a ticket, at least be courteous to others in the theatre and sit through it and don’t disturb everyone by walking out. That’s just plain rude and disrespectful.
Make that “was I reading.” I’m tired. Forgive my mistakes.