Normally in my opening paragraph, I discuss my impressions of the film, possibly rekindle some old memories, and leave the reader with a question about the worthiness of the movie.  In my review for Shutter Island I am skipping this pretense.  If you like psychological thrillers with a touch of the supernatural, go buy this movie.  If you appreciate a haunting score that is as much a character as the actors, go buy this movie.  If you love to see films that are not made, but instead crafted, go buy this movie.

Film

Martin Scorsese has had his ups and downs as a director, but has really come into a renaissance over the last eight years with Gangs of New York, The Aviator, The Departed, and Shutter Island.  Odd as it may sound, I believe Shutter Island is some of the finest work of his career. 

The premise of the film is that a patient has disappeared from their cell in Ashecliff Hospital for the Criminally Insane, located on Shutter Island in Boston Harbour.  Two U.S. Marshalls are sent to investigate the disappearance, where they encounter stonewalling, patient fear, and suspicious actions on the part of the facility’s administrators and guards.  It is difficult to describe the plot much more than this without ruining it for the viewer; suffice it for me to say that the movie constantly has you questioning what is real, and effectively grows the viewer’s paranoia throughout.

Although the story may not be as compelling as some of Scorsese’s legendary movies, the cinematography, scene framing, lighting, and shooting angles are all superb.  His ability to have his actors convey an emotion through an expression as simple as a drawn mouth or raised eyebrow rivals (and in some cases surpasses) Stanley Kubrick.

Furthermore, Scorsese uses every element of filmmaking to make this as superb a movie as possible.  The score creates an ominous feeling; although it can be a bit jarring at times (a la Godard), it is present, heavy, and controls the mood of the movie.  Lighting is used effectively, with warmth on indoor incandescent shots, washed out paleness outdoors, and cold sterility under fluorescents.  The weather even plays a hand in the film, with an ominous storm bearing down on Shutter Island during the stay of the actors.

Even better is that Scorsese gives everything in the film a slight off-kilter feel to it.  Is it safe for U.S. Marshal Teddy (Leonardo DiCaprio) to take aspirin from the head psychologist at the hospital Dr. Cawley (Ben Kingsley)?  Why do the guards start fingering their weapons when Teddy and his partner Chuck (Mark Ruffalo) arrive on the island?  What is with the insane patient who makes a whispering sign to Teddy when they arrive at the facility?  For the person who pays close attention to the little actions of all characters in the movie, Scorsese orchestrates them grandly, and they all make sense by the end of the film.  Nothing is not done for a purpose..

The work of the main actors in this film also cannot be understated.  Leonardo DiCaprio is superb as Marshall Teddy Daniels; he presents a complex and nuanced character with extreme sensitivity, and allows him to be peeled back, layer-by-layer.  Ben Kingsley manages to wrap compassion, sincerity, and sinister into a nattily-dressed, well-educated package.  Even the supporting cast is superb, stepping in when needed to move the plot along, but never detracting from the interaction of the leads.

As someone who likes to predict what will happen in a film, I was pleasantly surprised by the end of the movie.  Although Scorsese could have left the viewer with doubt and ambiguity, he chose instead to end the movie cleanly, something I am very pleased with.

Regardless, this movie is a true example of a film-maker in full control of their craft, and is one of the best films made in the past few years.  Highly recommended.    

Video

I cannot fault any part of the visual presentation of this film.  Although it is not at the level of my current video reference disc (Star Trek), it is superb.  In fact, the natural grain, softness, and texture of the movie made me feel like I was in the world’s best movie theatre watching a film.

It is really impossible for me to flaw any part of the movie.  Even very dark scenes were free of noise, grain, and crush, and the amount of grain and texture was always appropriate for the type of lighting.  An absolutely superb video presentation.

Audio

This is how lossless audio was to be.  Eerie noises leaking into the sound field from the background.  Punishing score coming from the entire front wall of speakers, followed by a clean and quick shift to the centre channel for dialog.  The room shaking as storm-driven waves crash themselves against the rocky cliffs of Shutter Island.  Excellent dynamic range.

However, this is not a perfect audio presentation.  At one important juncture in the movie, the actors speak in whispers, making them unintelligible.  There was some jarring audio transitions (deliberately done by Scorsese, I believe).  If you’re watching this when the kids are in bed, you may want to put your AVR’s “night” mode on.

Despite my small niggles, this was a very, very good audio presentation.

Special Features

It is disappointing that the level of special features on non-Special Edition Blu-ray discs seems to be on a downward slide.  Shutter Island is no exception to this trend, as it contains only two small featurettes (though both are in HD).

Behind the Shutters goes behind the scenes with the cast, crew, and author of Shutter Island while the slightly longer Into the Lighthouse focuses more on psychology and psychiatric care, and how it was incorporated into the film.  Together, these clock in at just under 40 minutes.

Although I am not a huge proponent of commentary tracks, this is one movie I would not have minded watching again, simply to hear DiCaprio, Kingsley, and Scorsese discuss their work.  However, maybe this is for the better; who would have wanted to hear an artist like Rembrandt discuss his brushstrokes as he paints a picture?  Sometimes it is just better to sit back and appreciate the art for what it is.   

Final Thoughts

There is a certain portion of the population that appreciates fine craftsmanship.  Be it through purchasing old antiques, or a fondness for watches or shoes, these people can tell when looking at something how well it is made, regardless of its price.  Movie viewers are much the same way.  We can recognize when we are seeing fine craftsmanship; it is reflected in every frame, every action, every sound regardless of a film’s genre, budget, or hype. 

In the case of Shutter Island, it is the product of a master craftsman who skills and refinement have only improved with age.  This is apparent from the first frame of the film to the last, and shines through in a near-perfect Blu-ray transfer.  Shutter Island would make a worthy addition to the permanent collection of any true movie fan.