
The setting is rather simple. Two federal US Marshals visit a maximum security psychiatric ward on a remote island off the coast of Massachusetts. Someone has escaped the mental facility and DiCaprio and Mark Ruffalo must track down the escapee and solve the mystery of the island. The film is shot wonderfully in dark and depressing tones (the constant bad weather during the stay on the island adds to the overall gloomy effect). Scorsese does a great job of inter-cutting back story through brief flashbacks to fill us in on the narrative provided by Dennis Lehane's novel. An intense score composed of previously released songs played at the perfect time help add to the atmosphere. Amazingly this is not an original score but the arrangement evokes memories of the brilliant in-your-face over-the-top music found in There Will Be Blood.
The acting across the board is outstanding including great supporting performances from Ben Kingsley and Michelle Williams. You really find yourself believing that you are on the island, immersed in the scenery. What takes this movie to that next level is the acting typhoon that is Leo DiCaprio. He completely owns this performance and makes you fascinated with his character from start to finish. Simply put, DiCaprio is the greatest actor of his generation and I hope the Academy remembers this performance a year from now. If Shutter Island was released as originally planned in 2009, he would be in the 5-man race for Best Actor for sure. I hope he decides to try to branch out more and work with other directors, but after the last two Marty/Leo collaborations, I can't really complain too much.
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1 comment:
Will you be blogging your Oscar picks??? I am relying on you since I've seen so few...of the ones I've seen, my pick for best picture is the Hurt Locker!
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