Too bad the movie didn't suck so I could of called it "Shitter Island."
Ah, the asylum film. It should be a genre of its own. How is Scorsese, one of the supposed great American directors, going to pull this one off? One thing I love about his work is how he really choreographs the music along side of the atmospheric shots, creating an ambiance that helps you to get drawn into this world before you. The ambiance is set heavily in the first bits of the movie as you are taking a journey along side Edward (Leo) into the asylum itself. The music plays hauntingly in the background, creating a sense of paranoia. Making you feel as if maybe something isn't right here. That's why we have the detectives, though, as they try and figure out the disappearance of one of the patients here on Shutter Island, who happened to just vanish into thin air through locked doors and guarded corridors.
About a third of the movie is taken up by this search. I think this is a tad bit boring, but what gets you is the curiosity, that's what draws you in. It's a bit of a thriller with a bit of mystery dashed into it, which is done quite well. The dialogue sequences are ranging from awesome to “is that necessary?” Some of them even slow the movie down, making its flow and pace a bit humdrum. All during the investigation Leo seems to be snapping into flashbacks and having some really vivid dreams. I thought the dream sequences were the director trying to show us the psyche of a person. We've all had dreams that were vivid but a bit on the, well, weird side and these dreams are a bit like that.
Eventually the ol' cop opens up and you learn he jumped on this case to find his wife's killer. At this time there are even some signs pointing to conspiracy?! Egad Leo! Run! At least that's what some of the patients have been telling him. So yeah, the escapee is found and all is well. OH REALLY? Leo doesn't think so! So he continues to investigate before being shipped away on the ferry back to the mainland. Yeah, so they just found her like that, she was just a plot device. But for what? Que eerie music. The big break comes, though, during a terrible storm hitting the island. This storm knocks out the elictrical security unlocking the patients cells. This gives Leo a chance to sneak into the highly guarded C ward. Or, at least, you thought it was highly guarded, but he just waltzes in like it's nothing. Up comes my favorite part. The part where they are approaching the ward. They slowly walk through a darkened room with a flickering light. In the background, screams and cries from the violent prisoners being held inside echo through the halls, awesome stuff. So, Leo ends up playing some tag with one of the escaped patients and then he catches up to him only to start getting the shit beat out of him. I'm not sure the purpose of this and that whole scene seemed pointless, but Leo ends up turning the tables then choking the shit out of this dude. I think this was all to prove a point of how violent he really is, which he denies completely. He just wants some peace.
Now, the last half is the tying up of the plot, filling in your loose ends. Leo runs into someone that he supposedly knew in the past. The guy, who he thinks is his wife's killer, turns out not to be. He tells him that this is all just one big game and he needs to watch his back before getting hurt, or worse, taken to the dreaded lighthouse. This causes Leo to investigate and find the REAL woman who escaped. So, this place is fucking with him? She explains that they are cruel military men who are trying to find a way to control the human mind and they needed new brains. Apparently, anything Leo consumed while being there is a nerve agent, making him a ticking time bomb. Now our “hero” must finally find the truth! He goes all commando, blowing up cars, knocking the fuck out of guards, and going straight to the top. This is the twist, you ready? HE IS REALLY INSANE! At this point I kind of figured this out. This is the bad part about the asylum movies, this is the twist to expect and is kind of, well, cliche. So, Leo is really his wife's killer, the escaped woman wasn't real, and this whole cop/detective bullshit was an elaborate role-play to help Leo stop denying the truth. Still, the movie was pretty good, cliches included. I wouldn't go see it again because the mystery is over and that's really what was keeping my interest. Oh and also if you haven't seen the movie and read this you might as well go see something else, sorry!
Final score: 8/10
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