I am not a die hard Scorsese fan, but when he gets it right, it's hard to deny his genius.  Shutter Island is an example of that kind of excellence.

Set in 1954, U.S. Marshal Teddy Daniels (DiCaprio) and his partner (Ruffalo) arrive at Shutter Island to investigate the mysterious disappearance of a patient from Ashecliffe, a federal hospital for the criminally insane.  Daniels has ulterior motives and already suspects the hospital is conducting criminal experiments.  He's also trying to locate the man who allegedly killed his wife.

The film is reminiscent of HItchcock and plays out gorgeously on the screen.  A psychological thriller at its very best, Shutter Island delivers both horror and beauty.  The acting is incredible and engaging by the entire cast.  While it's not a short film (afterall, this is Scorsese), it is well paced and extremely interesting throughout.  There is a quiet tension through the whole movie that completely captivates you.  My only complaint is that the score is way too overpowering in several scenes, espcially the arrival to the island where it becomes incredibly distracting.

While I didn't read this novel, I am admittedly a fan of Dennis Lehane's work (Mystic River and Gone Baby Gone).  It's worth mentioning for sensitive and unfamiliar audiences that his content is typically unpleasant and difficult, but undeniably thought provoking.  This film is no exception. 

 So How Does It End?

I seriously suggest you stop reading if you have not read or seen Shutter Island.  The audience discovers along with Teddy Daniels that he is in fact patient number 67 and has been on the island for two years.  He was a U.S. Marshal before his severely depressed wife murdered their three children in the lake behind their house, which, with much pain, leads him to shoot her.  Her death at his hands, along with blaming himself for the deaths of his children (he saw the signs and did not get his wife help), result in a severe mental snap.  Everything we have previously seen in the film is an elaborate play the hospital staff is performing to help Daniels snap out of his fantasy and come to terms with reality.

How you feel about the ending to this film seems to be the deciding factor on whether or not you enjoy it.  Daniels is apparently a very violent patient and has been slated for lobotomy to subdue him.  The medical staff at Ashecliffe is actually trying to fight the use of lobotomies and drugs in favor of actual therapy, and this is a last ditch effort to prove their methods more effective.

While some are claiming it's a cheap trick to wrap up the story with "he's just crazy," I think it's actually a very well crafted plot point. Thinking back there are many hints that this is a play being performed.  Is it a bit unrealistic that a federal hospital would perform such a dangerous experiment?  Sure, but this was the 50s, a turbulent time in the history of psychological treatments, and Ben Kingsley's character describes it as a "war."  These doctor's desperately wanted to prove they can avoid lobotomy and they also knew the madness of it would be contained on the island.  And it actually does work, but unfortunately for their case Daniels chooses to pretend to regress so that he can "die a good man" rather than "live as a monster."

This is a stunning, well-crafted and well-acted film.  I give it 5 out of 5.