Shutter Island (2010)

Two federal marshals (Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo) arrive on an island that houses a mental asylum for the criminally insane to find an escaped female patient on the eve of a massive hurricane. Based on the novel by Dennis Lehane (MYSTIC RIVER) and directed by Martin Scorsese. As a director, Scorsese has always been hit and miss with me. I dislike or have mixed feelings about many of his acclaimed films. But I love this stylish pulp thriller, far better than his previous attempt in the genre, the 1991 CAPE FEAR remake. While one could reasonably argue that there's a lot of sound and fury signifying nothing, it does Scorsese a disservice. It's an exercise in style and in that Scorsese triumphs. Rather overlong for a thriller, nevertheless Scorsese fills every moment with important information and more than a few red herrings. DiCaprio is wonderful here as is the rest of the cast. The use of modern classical music by John Cage, Krzysztof Penderecki, Gyorgy Ligeti among others is excellent and mention must be made of Robert Richardson's (INGLORIOUS BASTERDS) stunning cinematography. It's the kind of movie best seen with knowing as little as possible although truth to tell, it's fairly easy guessing the movie's twist. With Ben Kingsley, Michelle Williams, Max Von Sydow, Patricia Clarkson, Emily Mortimer, Jackie Earle Haley, John Carroll Lynch and Ted Levine.