Rule 32: Enjoy the little things in life.

Welcome to Shutter Island

About a week ago, a friend and I decided to go to the theater and see Shutter Island after numerous recommendations from friends and family members. Being a fan of many of the people involved, I went in with decently high expectations. After all, this was the team that made The Departed, which was amazing. To sweeten the deal, Shutter Island was written by one of my favorite authors, Dennis Lehane, author of such books as Mystic River, A Drink Before the War, and Gone Baby Gone. Some of the adaptions of his books were great, some were alright. I wanted to see how this one compared.

Let me start by saying this is one of the best book to movie adaptations I’ve seen. It’s one of those cases where the book is already great, and the director doesn’t try to add in a bunch of nonsense because he can. Martin Scorsese is better than that. He remains true to the source material, only cutting minor details due to time constraint. With a story as carefully nuanced as that of Shutter Island, this is important.

Speaking of the story, I am unable to over-emphasize that you have to enjoy psycho-trillers to like this movie.  It is not horror or action, but a Thriller.  My favorite kind of movie. I’m not too keen on horror, apart from zombies, but I love a great mind-bender, and without giving too much away, just remember that Dennis Lehane is a master thriller writer.  The end twist is great, and WILL make you want to see it again.

Of course, a great story is nothing without great characters and great actors to play them.  Leo is great as Marshal Teddy Daniels, as is to be expected.  But let us not forget the rest of the cast.  Mark Ruffalo is fantastic as Daniels’ partner Chuck.  I’ve been a fan of Ruffalo since 2009’s The Brothers Bloom, and was excited to see him in Shutter Island and he did not dissapoint.  Ben Kingsley as Doctor Cawley and Michelle Williams and Teddy’s wife are also stand out performances.

After the movie was over, I stood up in the theater and declared “Now THAT’S a movie. Damn good.”  So yes, it is a good movie.  The visuals are great, as is for most Scorsese movies, there’s some really great shots by the cliffs of the island. Now go see it. Now.