Shutter Island

[WDOgF0reL1fe]

Re: Shutter Island

I saw this tonight - awesome film. Leo was great, as usual, but I thought everybody else did a wonderful job as well. Which leads me to this...

Spoiler

Maybe I'm alone in this analysis, but until the end I thought the primary characters were, not acting poorly per se, but something with their performances just wasn't clicking. "Chuck" seemed to be trying too hard - his character seemed too on the nose to be truly believable. Every scene with him (until the reveal) made me think of the black-in-white 40s films. Not in the sense that it was believable, but in the sense that the performance was too flat and cardboard cutout. I think his "role-playing" was the most obvious since he was essentially the only faking his role, but even the way the Doctor would reveal some the information seemed cheesy and corny - "Its like she just...evaporated...through the walls."

Like I said, maybe I'm alone in my assessment but that's what really cemented the twists at the end for me and I don't see how anybody could not think he wasn't crazy.

I loved all the Hitchcock vibes throughout, too.

I also hate that the very first trailer for the movie pretty much ruined the movie and its "twist"

[Porschebenz2001]

Re: Shutter Island

I also hate that the very first trailer for the movie pretty much ruined the movie and its "twist"

Spoiler

How awesome would it have been if De Niro was a surprise?

[bubbachuck]

Re: Shutter Island

Does anyone know if the movie follows pretty closely to the novel? I can't imagine that they would flashback or create dream sequences quite the same way or within the same chronology, but is it pretty similar for the most part?

I thought the movie followed the book pretty closely.

Spoiler

I thought the dream sequences were a little toned down than what was in the book. The book had even more awkward random things going on. Like in the scene where he sees "Laeddis," in the book there were orgies going on and stuff. I thought the movie did it well and turned it down a notch for the better.

Also in the book he "talks" with his wife a lot more. She talks to him rather. Like when he has migraines and takes the pills her voice is telling him not to take them. And in the beginning when "Chuck" cant take of his pistol there is more significance where his wife tells him there is something wrong with Chuck's hands and they don't "fit" his body. In the Movie Teddy looks at him with question but it is overlooked from there.

The biggest difference between the book and the movie is the ending. In the book when they are talking and Teddy calls him Chuck revealing he has regressed, it ends when Teddy asks if they are onto them and Chuck says, "we are too smart for that." Then teddy says, "yea we are arent we?" It is like Chuck is playing along and Teddy is just in his crazy fantasy and you assume he will have to have the procedure done. In the movie they add that extra line where Teddy asks, "Is it better to live as a monster or die a good guy?" to me it suggest that Teddy was crazy the whole time, but now realizes it and does not want to be his true self. I feel the "live as a monster" means to be himself (Laeddis) and live with what he did, and "to die a good guy" is to continue being Teddy to get the procedure done that will change him entirely. I just think he gets it at the end but refuses to be Laeddis no matter the cost.

[mkharsh33]

Re: Shutter Island

I thought the movie followed the book pretty closely.

Spoiler

I thought the dream sequences were a little toned down than what was in the book. The book had even more awkward random things going on. Like in the scene where he sees "Laeddis," in the book there were orgies going on and stuff. I thought the movie did it well and turned it down a notch for the better.

Also in the book he "talks" with his wife a lot more. She talks to him rather. Like when he has migraines and takes the pills her voice is telling him not to take them. And in the beginning when "Chuck" cant take of his pistol there is more significance where his wife tells him there is something wrong with Chuck's hands and they don't "fit" his body. In the Movie Teddy looks at him with question but it is overlooked from there.

The biggest difference between the book and the movie is the ending. In the book when they are talking and Teddy calls him Chuck revealing he has regressed, it ends right when they say they are too smart for them to catch them. It is like Chuck is playing along and Teddy is just in his crazy fantasy and will have to have the procedure done to him. In the movie they add that extra line where Teddy asks, "Is it better to live as a monster or die a good guy?" to me it suggest that Teddy was crazy the whole time, but now realizes it and does not want to be his true self. I feel the "live as a monster" means to be himself (Laeddis) and live with what he did, and "to die a good guy" is to continue being Teddy to get the procedure done that will change him entirely. I just think he gets it at the end but refuses to be Laeddis no matter the cost.

thanks for sharing...i was wondering about the book / movie relationship. appreciate it!

[ASB37]

Re: Shutter Island

Just came back from seeing it. Loved the book, and loved the movie.

It was funny seeing so many people confused and lost after the movie ended, because that's pretty much how I felt after I finished the book. Seeing the movie was like watching it for a second time, which definitely helped.

[Blzer]

Re: Shutter Island

Just came back from seeing it. Loved the book, and loved the movie.

It was funny seeing so many people confused and lost after the movie ended, because that's pretty much how I felt after I finished the book. Seeing the movie was like watching it for a second time, which definitely helped.

I thought the movie was clear as day. The ending may make you go, "Wait... oooh, hmm" afterwards, but if you discuss it with someone, I'm sure you can conjecture some sort of understanding of it for yourself. Maybe it's meant to be open-ended, I'm not too sure. One thing I do want to see though is if I can connect the dots from the beginning of the movie to the end.

[dossier]

Re: Shutter Island

Great movie. I called the plot twist from the begining, however the movie does a good job of still making the viewer conjure up many different theories. Definately recomend this movie for anyone.

[Porschebenz2001]

Re: Shutter Island

I finally saw it today. I recommend it to anyone, it was great.

[Brankles]

Re: Shutter Island

“Remember us - for we too have lived, loved and laughed.”

As a plaque in front of the asylum suggests, Shutter Island is not the same world we live in, although there are remnants of it that continue to float around. The experience created by Martin Scorsese in his latest film is one that tests the audience's detective skills and sanity. But the real fun doesn't begin until after the credits roll and one questions what actually just happened.

Teddy Daniels and Chuck Aule are U.S. Marshalls assigned to investigate a missing patient at Ashecliffe Hospital for the Criminally Insane. The hospital is located on Shutter Island, a solitary locale where rumor has it, there is no way off the island. Ben Kingsley plays the lead psychiatrist with a smile that can't be trusted, and he does his best to divert Teddy and Chuck's investigation. During the search, Teddy struggles with his past life, haunted by the death of his wife and the story of the missing patient. This leads Teddy down a dangerous path where, like every other mystery movie ever made, nothing is what it seems and no one can be trusted.

Shutter Island takes place in the 1950's, when psychiatry tiptoed the line of barbaric and cutting-edge, and a doctor's work was all experimental; which sounds a lot like modern day psychiatry. Adding further depth to the complicated plot are themes relating to the Holocaust, life in the 1950's, and a bad, bad storm. If not for these intertwined story-lines Scorsese's film would have just been a run of the mill thriller.

Despite what some may think of the plot and dialogue, the imagery is really what makes Shutter Island stand out. Water, fire, blood, wind, and ice all float across the screen to create dramatic shots that remain imprinted in the mind well past the end of the movie. Graphic dream-like depictions of violence, death, and the Holocaust make it impossible not to forget Teddy Daniel's struggle.

The cast features a nice mix of stars and character actors. Leonardo DiCaprio, his wrinkled brow, and tough accent joined for an excellent depiction of Teddy Daniels, except he looks about ten years too young to be playing a hardened detective and war veteran. DiCaprio shines during an interrogation scene which rattles the mind of not only the patient in the asylum, but of the audience as well. Mark Ruffalo can always be counted on to deliver as the trusty sidekick with a hard exterior and a loyal heart. Ben Kingsley (who also played a psychiatrist in The Wackness) gets the job done as the untrustworthy Dr. Cawley, but is a little over-the-top when it comes to his sketchiness. Also, if Jack Earle Haley (who plays Rorschach in Watchmen and a creepy pedophile in Little Children) were to play a crazy person in every movie until he dies, that would be perfectly fine. No role was so perfectly fit for an actor in Shutter Island as Jack Earle Haley's depiction of asylum patient George Noyse. The rest of the cast plays minimal roles, as the subservient nurses and orderlies are almost indistinguishable in their attire and the prison guards with faces like bulldogs were almost like mannequins in a store for crazy people. They looked the same and acted like they were all hooked up to some kind of brain that ran the hospital. Scorsese is usually a master at using characters to tell the story, but in Shutter Islandthe characters are just pawns of the story and lack the significance they have in his past films.

What Shutter Island ultimately comes down to is how one perceives the ending. It is possible to leave the theater angry, confused, or ranting that it was brilliant. Whatever the opinion, the film is extremely thought-provoking, and will leave you scouring the IMDB message boards for closure. Take the last one-third of the movie out, and Shutter Island delivers with an intricate plot, suspenseful and exciting build-up, solid acting, and stunning visual artistry. The ending of Shutter Island leaves it up to the viewer to determine if they are truly convinced with what they are handed and how the rest of the film fits in. As a psychological thriller, it is easy to get caught up in how it ends, but to narrow it down to that would be doing Shutter Island a great injustice.

Shutter Island is worth the walk along the cliff's edge of sanity, but fails to reach the level of a Scorsese “classic."

7.5

http://www.notthebees.com/1/post/2010/02/shutter-island-21810.html

[mkharsh33]

Re: Shutter Island

as much as i enjoyed watching it, once was enough for me. i really don't see the benefit of a second viewing once you know what direction the ending takes... but a good movie, though.

[dossier]

Re: Shutter Island

as much as i enjoyed watching it, once was enough for me. i really don't see the benefit of a second viewing once you know what direction the ending takes... but a good movie, though.

Spoiler

For me it will be interesting to notice all the little things, such as a twitch by Mark Ruffalo. Things you wouldn't notice or understand unless knowing everything was staged.

[bubbachuck]

Re: Shutter Island

Spoiler

For me it will be interesting to notice all the little things, such as a twitch by Mark Ruffalo. Things you wouldn't notice or understand unless knowing everything was staged.

Yea seeing the movie once after reading the book makes you notice little things. wouldnt see the movie again in theaters but seeing after reading the books makes you notice things like that.

[mkharsh33]

Re: Shutter Island

agreed, guys. my wife and I said we'd probably rent it down the road just to see if there were some things we missed along the way...

[ehh]

Re: Shutter Island

Saw this last night and really disliked it. If I wasn't with my girl I probably would have gotten up and walked out of the theater. Going into the film I assumed what the ending and "twist" was going to be...

Spoiler

...but regardless of how you interpret the ending it felt like there was way too much dialogue and not enough suspense. I mean, one could argue there was NO suspense in the movie. It was weird that the trailers painted this movie as a horror flick but it wasn't even a thriller/suspense film to me - it was just a mystery. I was never on the edge of my seat, it was just a very boring movie. I kept waiting for something interesting to happen. It seemed to lack originality and/or any shocking moments.

Buffalo Bill being in the movie was funny as hell though, his one scene with Leo in the jeep had me chuckling.

It had potential, I just felt it was poorly done and to me it was largely forgettable.

[Blzer]

Re: Shutter Island

Spoiler

...but regardless of how you interpret the ending it felt like there was way too much dialogue and not enough suspense. I mean, one could argue there was NO suspense in the movie. It was weird that the trailers painted this movie as a horror flick but it wasn't even a thriller/suspense film to me - it was just a mystery. I was never on the edge of my seat, it was just a very boring movie. I kept waiting for something interesting to happen. It seemed to lack originality and/or any shocking moments.

What I'm saying in response isn't really a spoiler, but I don't know if you can blame the movie for misleading trailers. This certainly isn't the first time that it's happened with a movie before (Jarhead, The Informant), but again I don't think it's necessarily everything to blame the movie for not being what you expected, and instead rather take what they gave you and rate it that way, not what it was promoted as. If you still didn't like it, then I guess you didn't like it.