It seems these days that the combination of Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio is a foregone conclusion…I’m told the next Scorsese film – a biopic of Frank Sinatra – will star DiCaprio as well (fortunately the songs will still be sung by Frank). 

Shutter Island, their latest collaboration, was pushed back from a late 2009 release in part because of the Avatar factor.  The film was ready to go, but the studio wanted to make sure it wasn’t overshadowed by the barrage of media attention Avatar was sure to monopolize.  Financially it was a smart move, and worked out well.  Despite Alice in Wonderland, Shutter Island has attracted plenty of moviegoers.

When it comes to psychological thrillers like this, I am forced to review at a disadvantage; I knew early on where the film was going to go, but I can’t assume that was typical of those who watched it.  The twists and turns were no all telegraphed, and for most people I think some of the surprises were completely unexpected.  Still, for me, the movie was an enjoyable diversion, but nothing more…and it could have been.

Teddy Daniels and Chuck Aule (DiCaprio and Mark Ruffalo – an actor I gain more respect for every time I see him in film) are two Federal Marshalls called to travel to Shutter Island in the 1950’s.  Shutter Island is a Federal Penitentiary for the criminally insane located on an inaccessible island outside of Boston Harbor.  A dangerous prisoner who drowned her three children has mysteriously disappeared from her locked cell, and it is their job to investigate.  They’ve never worked together before, but Teddy is regarded as somewhat of a legend in the department.

The sense of dread begins almost immediately, as they are forced to surrender their firearms before entering the facility.  Run by Dr. Crawley (Ben Kingsly), the facility attempts to use more modern techniques to rehabilitate their patients rather than the typical lobotomy.  There is also the mysterious Dr. Naehring (Max von Sydow), who Teddy is highly suspicious of both because of his attitude and Teddy’s general distrust of old Germans following his experiences in World War II freeing the prisoners of Dachau. 

A hurricane approaches, which traps the two investigators on the island.  Teddy also explains to Chuck some of the reasons he volunteered to be on this particular case; he’d been waiting for any chance to get to Shutter Island, both to expose what he believes may be going on there (some sort of sadistic experiments) and to confront an arsonist who lit the fire that killed Teddy’s wife (Michelle Williams).  In fact, his wife appears in his dreams often, seeming to attempt to guide him along in his investigations.

Soon Teddy is unsure who he can trust.  Is his new partner even safe?  The food?  The cigarettes?  And could the doctors in this facility, if he gets too close to the truth, declare him insane and have him committed?  As is pointed out a number of times to Teddy, insane people are the most harmless of witnesses.  Once you are declared insane, anything you say or claim is simply part of your own delusion-filled world.

While I wasn’t bored, Shutter Island’s twists and turns became too frequent, too constant, and sometimes too obvious.  And while the very last line of the film asked a very relevant question, one I have considered many times for many reasons, I can’t help but believe there was a better way of getting there.