REVIEW: Shutter Island

Swank-mo-tron: Wow. That might be one of the best words to describe this movie. This movie was unsettling to me in all of the right ways right off the bat. It was haunting and beautiful and I even shed a few tears. I think a lesser filmmaker would have botched this story rather badly, but the fact that Martin Scorsese has such an even hand was greatly to this films benefit. The construction of Shutter Island was flawless and I want to see it again, just to confirm that statement. What do you think, Doctor?

Doctor Cyborg Robot M.D. Attorney at Law -5: I couldn’t disagree with Swank-mo-tron more. The film was hard to sit through. I was constantly fighting the urge to get up and walk out of the theatre. The only good things about the film were the directors control of the information, the story itself, the acting, the score, the best use of flashbacks and dreams that I’ve seen in a film for a good long while, and well pretty much the whole thing was really good. Shutter Island literally reignited my faith in cinema. Although as I started off saying it is hard to sit through. It isn’t the feel good movie of the year, so if your one of those idiots that needs to feel good, go get yourself a foot massage.

So I guess Smank-mo-tron and I actually agree on this one, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t still wrong. I think he is understating this movies greatness. Whereas he isn’t likely to throw out phrases like, “best film of the year!” and “Thrilltacular roller coaster ride!” I am. And that’s what separates us from the humans…

Swank-mo-tron: Ummm… I’m a bit lost, Doctor, but I will agree that the construction of the film and the language of cinema it used were second-to-none. And It’s been fun debating the ending with you in person… It’s really open-ended and I appreciate the fact that we are left to make up our own minds about the film and the nature of the ending.

And I would also like to point out how much I loved the scene between the Warden of the Shutter Island facility and Leonardo DiCaprio’s character. I think that scene stood out among an entire film’s worth of stand out scenes.

And I loved Scorsese’s use of incredible actors for even the most bit parts, like Jackie Earle Haley, Patricia Clarkson, Emily Mortimer and Elias Koteas. They all stood out in a film with lead performances so strong they made my head spin. Literally, my stomach was turning over in knots.

This is one I’m going to have to go back and see again and again.

Scorsese did it again.