Dir. Martin Scorsese
Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo, Ben Kingsley, Emily Mortimer, Patricia Clarkson, Michelle Williams
The most curious thing about the pre-release buzz for Scorsese's Shutter Island is the idea that Scorsese is somehow slumming by making a thriller. The man who has made his mark elevating the gangster/cops and robbers genres is somehow above the same genre that the legendary Alfred Hitchcock mastered. And it seems that this has led to the consensus opinion about the film being, "Nice job, Marty, now get back to what we want you to do." It's a shame, because I think this does a great disservice to what is a fantastic film.
Teddy Daniels (Leonardo DiCaprio) is a federal marshal sent to investigate the disappearance of a dangerous patient in a remote insane asylum. Assisting him is a brand new partner Chuck Aule (Mark Ruffalo), who may or may not be on his side. From the start, there are warning signs that not all is right; they are forced to give up their weapons, patients give ominous warnings like writing "run", and Dr. Cawley (Ben Kingsley) seems to be offering very little assistance to the investigation.
