Shutter Island (2010)

Drama set in 1954, U.S. Marshal Teddy Daniels is investigating the disappearance of a murderess who escaped from a hospital for the criminally insane and is presumed to be hiding nearby.

Director:

Martin Scorsese

Writers:

Laeta Kalogridis (screenplay), Dennis Lehane (novel)

Stars:

Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo, Ben Kingsley

Top 250 #230 | 4 wins & 27 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Leonardo DiCaprio	...	Teddy Daniels
Mark Ruffalo	...	Chuck Aule
Ben Kingsley	...	Dr. Cawley
Max von Sydow	...	Dr. Naehring (as Max Von Sydow)
Michelle Williams	...	Dolores
Emily Mortimer	...	Rachel 1
Patricia Clarkson	...	Rachel 2
Jackie Earle Haley	...	George Noyce
Ted Levine	...	Warden
John Carroll Lynch	...	Deputy Warden McPherson
Elias Koteas	...	Laeddis
Robin Bartlett	...	Bridget Kearns
Christopher Denham	...	Peter Breene
Nellie Sciutto	...	Nurse Marino
Joseph Sikora	...	Glen Miga (as Joe Sikora)

Storyline

It's 1954, and up-and-coming U.S. marshal Teddy Daniels is assigned to investigate the disappearance of a patient from Boston's Shutter Island Ashecliffe Hospital. He's been pushing for an assignment on the island for personal reasons, but before long he wonders whether he hasn't been brought there as part of a twisted plot by hospital doctors whose radical treatments range from unethical to illegal to downright sinister. Teddy's shrewd investigating skills soon provide a promising lead, but the hospital refuses him access to records he suspects would break the case wide open. As a hurricane cuts off communication with the mainland, more dangerous criminals "escape" in the confusion, and the puzzling, improbable clues multiply, Teddy begins to doubt everything - his memory, his partner, even his own sanity.

---

Plot Keywords:

island | partner | disappearance | fire | criminally insane | 

---

Taglines:

Someone is missing.

---

Genres:

Mystery | Thriller

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for disturbing violent content, language and some nudity

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [fr] Official site [jp]

Country:

USA

Language:

English German

Release Date:

19 February 2010 (USA)

Also Known As:

Ashecliffe

Filming Locations:

Acadia National Park, Bar Harbor, Maine, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$80,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£2,250,178 (UK) (12 March 2010)

Gross:

$127,968,405 (USA) (4 June 2010)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures, Phoenix Pictures, Sikelia Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

138 min

Sound Mix:

SDDS Dolby Digital DTS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

David Fincher was considered as a director.

---

Goofs

When Teddy is stuffing his tie into the gas tank, he looks up to see his wife. He then holds the tie and balls it in his hands and says he's sorry for ruining the tie. In the next shot the tie is all the way in the tank. He wouldn't have started to put it in the tank, take it out, and put it back.

---

Quotes

[first lines]
Teddy Daniels: Pull yourself together, Teddy. Pull yourself together.

---

Connections

Referenced in Parenthood: I Don't Want to Do This Without You (2011)

---

Soundtracks

"HOMMAGE Á JOHN CAGE"
(1959)
Written & Performed by Nam June Paik
Courtesy of Nam June Paik Studios, Inc.

User Reviews

I can't look away...

Finally, a horror/thriller that actually, genuinely scares the crap out of you. Not because it has fancy villains in masks or sadistic buckets of gore throughout. No, it scares you because it messes with your mind. Most will hate this movie, they don't like their brains being tampered with. I loved it. It's what we needed after all those gory R-rated and sometimes lame-duck PG-13 horror crap-fests.

The horror/thriller genre has been raped lately, with gore and scantily clad- women replacing the noir and terror that Alfred Hitchcock perfected in the '50s and '60's. Here director Martin Scorsese delivers in full blast, crafting a thriller in his own unique vision. The atmosphere throughout the movie is tense and unsettling. Slow as it may be, but it is crucial to the movie and it's genuinely gripping. Your attention WILL not be lost. The scenery is beautiful and finely done with no excessive lighting, grain or darkness. The editing by Thelma Schoonmaker is fluid and pitch-perfect, and never makes the film lose focus. The movie is based on a book by Dennis Lehane and is packed with twists and turns that will leave you breathless and uneasy. The movie cranks the breathlessness and uneasiness up to the power of 5. The music is also perfectly suited with the scenes. There is sometimes no music during suspenseful moments, and sometimes the music makes the scene even more disturbing and memorable. Alfred Hitchcock's noirish thriller style is back with a vengeance, here to teach today's moviegoers the REAL meaning of suspense and horror.

All the actors in the movie are in top-form. Once again, you can't go wrong with a Leonardo DiCaprio/Martin Scorsese collaboration. As the protagonist, we the audience are thrust into his shoes and we are about as confused and scared as his character is, we feel what he feels. It becomes a psychological trip that poses many, many questions about oneself, that to discuss them here would spoil the entire movie. There are some flashbacks in the movie, but all of them are important clues to DiCaprio's character. DiCaprio gives a stunning performance, once again tempting the Academy to give him another Best Actor nomination. DiCaprio gives a vivid portrayal of a vulnerable, haunted and ultimately terrified man. Apart from DiCaprio there's really not much I can say about the supporting cast, because they are all also terrific. Ben Kingsley; Mark Ruffalo; Michelle Williams; Max Von Sydow; Jackie Earle Haley; Emily Mortimer; Patricia Clarkson; Ted Levine; Elias Koteas; John Carroll Lynch. All of them.

In short, this is a psychological and frightening masterpiece that will make you scared, will make you think, and will make you seek psychological help. This is one of the best films of the year. See it, go in with an open mind and prepare to be blown away.

Overall value: 9/10.