by Nicolacho

Created on: March 04, 2010

Dark, dramatic music preceding the opening scene in Martin Scorsese’s latest film, "Shutter Island," immediately plunges the audience into a phenomenally tortuous thriller packed with plot twists.

Set in the 1950s, Deputy Marshal Teddy Daniels (Leonardo DiCaprio) visits the Ashecliff Hospital, a mental institution for the most deranged criminals, with his partner Chuck Aule (Mark Ruffalo) after being assigned the case of an escaped murderess.

Delving into the investigation, Daniels soon finds the chief psychiatrist, Dr. John Cawley (Ben Kingsley) and the rest of the hospital staff enigmatic and stubborn, practically refusing to cooperate. Exasperated, Daniels takes matters into his own hands, attempting to throw off the veils of secrecy surrounding Ashcliffe Hospital. Daniels and Aule interrogate current patients, searching for clues as to what exactly Cawley and his staff have to hide. Further description would amount only to spoilers.

Stamping the movie with his trademarks, Scorsese plays off guilt and corruption to confuse the audience as long he has them glued to their seat.

Though the beginning is slightly melodramatic, Scorsese brilliantly places the film in the cloudy, ominous context where it belongs. The foggy, and at times violently stormy, "Shutter Island" could not be any creepier. Ashecliff Hospital sits nestled into the cliff-surrounded island and rings with screams echoing from within its dank cells inhabited by gnarled and scabbed patients. Dreams mix exquisitely with reality, and certainty in anything is nowhere to be found. Cawley’s amicable smile may be a guise for maliciousness, and Aule’s helpful character a trap. Every scene contributes to the ambiguity of the situation, pumping the suspense to explosive levels.

The film tinkers with the viewer's wits without the typical startling moments prevalent in cheap horror films and instead maddens the mind with eerie orchestral music, dark passages and the elusiveness of any concrete truth.

Blessed with one of Scorsese’s most intricate and elaborate plots yet, "Shutter Island" careens at a break-neck pace through the themes of secrecy and reality versus imagination until the truth finally slams into your face with such elegance and finesse that one can’t help but wonder if they’re not seeing the whole picture. Though at first the ending seems wrapped up in a perfect little bow, the final dialogue leaves room for doubt and interpretation.

"Shutter Island" offers a break from the cliché horror movies filled with gore and ghosts, giving instead a mental thrill ride worth every penny.

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