Shutter Island - Scorsese takes a new direction.

I guess saying that Shutter Island is a new direction for Martin Scorsese isn’t entirely true. He’s ventured into creepy territory before with 1991’s Cape Fear starring Robert De Niro, but that movie didn’t leave much of an impression on me. In fact, I didn’t really like that movie much at all. I’m happy to report that Shutter Island, while not Scorsese at his best, is a really excellent film. If you’re a fan of psychological thrillers starring excellent casts in wonderfully creepy settings, then this is a movie you shouldn’t miss.

Let me be honest about a few things right up front. Coming into last night’s viewing I wasn’t too excited about this film. The previews have been around since something like last August, and I know for a fact that the release date was pushed back numerous times. (I think it was initially supposed to release in September or October?!) The fact that it’s been pushed back so long, coupled with the reality of it being released in February, a month not much better than January when it comes to Hollywood releases, I was pretty certain that the studio was taking a “Better to release it late than never.” standpoint. This mentality had me feeling indifferent about it to say the least. I’m happy to report that my concerns were completely unfounded. Scorsese has crafted a complex, atmospheric, nerve shredding piece of work that grabs the viewer by the throat from the opening shot and doesn’t really let go until long after you leave the theatre. Is it 100% successful? No, it isn’t, but what movie is?

Maybe the thing that comes through the most in the film is a sense of confidence. We all know that Scorsese is a great director. With classics like Raging Bull, Goodfellas, and Taxi Driver, and his more recent work The Departed no one is going to tell me that the man doesn’t know how to put a good film together. He’s a supremely capable man, good at framing shots, working with complex scripts, and weaving a lot of different narratives together while keeping everything compelling and moving forward. It’s his confidence that shines through in every scene. He knows what he’s doing, how to take the viewer through the story, and how to bring them to the dénouement, all the while playing his cards close to the vest.

Unlike the recent The Wolfman and some other “scary” movies of late, Shutter Island is good at the slow burn, constantly keeping the audience on edge in just about every single scene. It’s not a “horror” movie per se (it resides squarely in the “psychological thriller” genre) but it can definitely get you to jump out of your seat when it wants to. Taking place on an isolated island populated by the mentally insane, most with violent criminal pasts, I suppose it’s not surprising that it can make you jump at points. But the sheer sense of discomfort one experiences from start to finish is accomplished in a myriad of ways, not just through cheap scares, but in genuinely unpleasant sights, sounds, situations. Some of the “waking nightmares” are truly frightening but, strangely enough, eerily beautiful. I know that sounds contradictory, but it’s the truth. Without delving into spoilers, let me just say that the visuals that Scorsese puts together manage a delicate balance of horror and beauty that have rarely been seen in films I’m aware of, and might be reason enough for me to buy this when it hits the Blu Ray rack at my local Best Buy.

Performances? Anyone out there who’s going to try and claim that Lenoardo DiCaprio is “just another pretty face” couldn’t be more wrong. He is, without a doubt, one of the most talented actors of his generation, and I look forward to seeing where the rest of his career takes him. With films like What’s Eating Gilber Grape, Catch Me If You Can, and The Departed in his past you can’t argue with the guy’s talent. He’s strong here throughout, and particularly shines in the final chapters of the movie. He’s a man at the very end of a completely frayed rope and one can’t help but feel for him. The rest of the cast is solid with memorable work turned in by Sir Ben Kingsley, Max Von Sydow, and Patricia Clarkson. Mark Ruffalo, cast as DiCaprio’s newly assigned partner, turns in a solid sidekick performance.

The story is a labyrinthine maze, and seemingly becomes more and more complex with each new turn that DiCaprio’s tough guy veteran deputy marshall, and Ruffalo’s recent west-coast transplant uncover. The movie runs about 2:20, so it’s a bit longer than standard popcorn fare at your local cineplex, but it’s exquisitely timed in terms of pacing, with each scene building on the previous effortlessly.

My one gripe with the film, which both of my friends echoed as we walked out, is with the soundtrack. The atonal nature of it, while eerie, doesn’t seem to gibe with with the film on the whole. For a film set in the 1950’s it seems a bit heavy handed, and a bit out of place. However, it’s a minor complaint and easily overlooked given the rest of the film’s success.

A couple other quick thoughts before I end. This movie is one reason that I’m glad I check out sites like Rotten Tomatoes and look at reviews ahead of time. I might have skipped this one altogether had I not been following it on Rotten Tomatoes where it’s getting pretty decent reviews all around. Many complain that my penchant for reading reviews prior to seeing movies means that I don’t see some movies that look like they should be good, and that may well be true, but it’s the good word of mouth, and positive reviews that I read ahead of time that sold me on seeing this film once and for all and I’m thankful for that. I would have regretted not seeing this when I had the chance. Also, and I’d love for anyone to chime in on this, I know that the film is based on a Dennis Lehane novel and I hear that it’s a pretty faithful adaptation, but I couldn’t help but feel like I was almost watching a play in a couple of scenes. I wonder if this is a piece that could somehow make it into a stage adaptation....?

It’s not Scorsese at his best, look to Taxi Driver or Goodfellas for that, but it’s definitely Scorsese in fine form. And that should be reason enough for you to see it. It won’t be for everyone, but if you like creepy, or the previews have even remotely piqued your interest, then get out and see it while you can. You won’t regret it.

Check out my good friend Andrew’s thoughts here for a second opinion.

The Wolfman...now with 50% more boring!

I suppose I could end my review right there. Just tell you not to see this poorly written, aimlessly directed, plot-hole ridden, waste of talent, and you’d ultimately get the message. It’s a bad movie. Not the worst I’ve ever seen, not by a long shot (that honor goes to Naked Lunch, and I’d probably include 2009’s The Box at this point.) But it’s really quite...quite bad.

I’m going to try to write this up without spoilers, but let it be known that I will discuss aspects of the movie in general, some of which will be tied to plot, so stop reading now if you don’t want this crap-fest ruined in advance.

From the moment I saw the first preview for this new reboot of the Lon Chaney classic I was excited to get to a theatre and check it out. The previews indicated a great sense of art-direction with a really atmospheric movie, the effects looked to be awesome (the scene with Del Toro strapped to the chair while morphing into the Wolfman in particular stood out), and I thought the rest of the cast looked really strong. I mean, come on, it’s Sir Anthony Hopkins right?? How can you go wrong?! Damn you previews, and damn the marketing teams that come up with previews this enticing for movies this lame.

I’d read some of the reviews floating around the interwebs so I knew going into it that it wasn’t going to be great, but I hadn’t been adequately prepared for just how lame it was ultimately going to end up being.

First the good, the movie does look really great. It’s really atmospheric and dark, almost mono-chromatic with saturate grays, blues, blacks, browns. The settings are all fun to look at, and there’s some good period costume work going on as well I suppose, though it’s nothing too stellar. As for the next good.....well.....um.....yeah, that’s about all I got actually. How disappointing is that?

Let’s talk plot. You already know that Benicio del Toro is the Wolfman so nothing is spoiled there. But the plot surrounding how he becomes the Wolfman, his apparent history of mental illness, and all of the rest of the events of the film are a complete and utter mess. Nothing is really explained, characters that are somewhat pivotal (Hugo Weaving - Mr. Smith from the Matrix trilogy) are given a cursory shading of background information, and apparently crucial historical events are handled through incoherent flashbacks that barely tie together in any discernible way that makes sense. Imagine taking a decent book, throwing it into a blender, hitting puree for 2 minutes, and then pulling out the pieces and taping about 1/3 of them back together. Yeah, that’s the plot.

Performances? Well I’m a fan of basically everyone in the cast so I figured they’d redeem the film on some level. They come from a good body of work. Sir Anthony Hopkins, Benicio del Toro, and Hugo Weaving all come from a strong body of work with some excellent character work in their past. As my friend Andrew said, “Maybe it was a directorial choice to have every performer think about doing their laundry, or what they were going to have for lunch, while reciting their lines.” I don’t think I can put it any better. Not a single person in this film seems remotely interested in telling the story that’s being told. They all just seem.....bored.

Pacing is the final huge issue (I’ll give the cheesy dialog a pass for this review.) The whole movie has the tempo of a runaway freight train. It’s hard to understand how something that’s moving so ridiculously fast from one plot point to the next, from one setting to the next, can be so bland. Apparently, in England, they don’t have full moons like you and I do, on some sort of regular lunar cycle, instead they have a full moon every 2 or 3 days. You could see how that would be problematic when a Werewolf is on the prowl, right? Also, some people apparently can only walk across the full length of the English countryside as conventional means of travel (horse, train) are unavailable to them, while others can hop a train no problem. The weird thing about this? The person walking and the person on the train arrive at the same location at the exact same time!!! Explanation? Someone? Anyone?

Ok, I’m almost done. One last thing, and yes, this is a definite spoiler, so quit now if you don’t want the final 20 minutes of the film ruined. (The final 20 minutes that my friend Andrew and I simply spent laughing out loud while pointing at the screen.)

SPOILER BELOW!!!

The movie went from just lame to outright bad when, in what would be the final fight, Werewolf Anthony Hopkins jumps back from the wounded Werewolf Benicio del Toro in a fit of rage and...you guessed it...rips off his shirt Hulk Hogan style revealing his old, grey werewolf fur before getting his ass handed to him by his young pup of a son Benicio. Yeah, that did it.

All I could think about was what that day of filming must have been like on set.

“Yes Sir anthony, I know you’re a legendary actor, and that you’ve been in some amazing movies, and are immortalized as Hannibal Lecter forever. Now, would you mind putting on this old man werewolf suit and tearing your shirt off for us, please?”

Ugh. Skip it.