Thursday, April 15, 2010
2-Hours on Shutter Island
There are films that make you think, and there are films that slap your brain around abit for a damn good 2 hours.
"Shutter Island" is of the slap-your-brain variety.
Watched it a few days ago thanks to Kel Li, and I must say, it's been awhile since a movie had me leaving the hall feeling abit out of sorts (the last one would have been "District 9" I think).
Basically, the story revolves around U.S. Marshal Teddy Daniels (Leonardo DiCaprio), who is sent to Shutter Island with his partner Chuck (Mark Ruffalo), to investigate the mysterious and seemingly implausible dissapearance of a patient named Rachel Solando. Her room was locked from the outside and her windows are barred. Howwww did she doooooo ittttttt??? Hint: She's not David Copperfield's protege.
Now, Rachel is a patient at Ashecliffe Hospital which is a hospital for people who are not only insane, they're really dangerous criminals too. Just few levels up from stealing candy from a baby. Nasty things.
Couple-trench-coats and fedoras were all the rage back then.
Anyhoo, from the beginning of the movie itself, the foreboding Dum-Dum-Dum-Dum Jaws-esque music pretty much screams at you that something's not right with this Ashecliffe estalishment. It's always the mental hospitals. They dont pull shit like that at a normal hospital. Would they? Dum-Dum-Dum!
That something may or may not have something to do with the fact that Ben Kingsley's head (he plays the head shrink in the movie) really resembles a giant.. Something.
From the start, Teddy Daniels gets no help at all from the hospital staff and even the patients seem to have lines more well-rehearsed than an episode of American Idol. You can tell they're hiding something, and it isnt candy.
Smart-alecs will have a field day grabbing the less-smart-person next to them in the cinema and whispering "I know what's going on! I know! I know!" with a smug look on their faces *coughs*. BUT, you could be wrong!
I wouldnt spoil it for you, but try not to overheat your brain as you attempt to figure out what exactly is wrong with Ashecliffe Hospital before the movie ends. Just watch it like Martin Scorsese told you to and enjoy it.
I really like all the little details throughout the movie and the constant nagging feeling that someone's keeping a really close eye on Teddy Daniels. I'm also really pleased that they didnt neglect to properly narrate to the audience the answers to all their "Why's" and "How's" and "Whodunnit's" at the end too.
Michelle Williams is actually pretty good in Shutter Island. The wet-hair look really suits her well.
I didnt find the movie too long or draggy, even though it ran for slightly over 2 hours. In fact, I'm glad it's that long because they really managed to explain everything quite clearly. I hate leaving the cinema wondering why something happened and losing sleep over it (Twilight, I'm talking about you here). "Shutter Island" is definitely worth the watch for keeping me glued right till the end.
Extra fun bit: At the end of the movie, questioning everything around you and quoting lines from the movie with your movie-partners will be inevitable. Don't fight it. Just give in. Who is 67?? C'mon boss.
*borrowed picture-caption strategy from K0k Bl0k*
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