Teddy, along with his partner Chuck (Mark Ruffalo), are just arriving on Shutter Island to investigate a disappearing person from Ashecliff Hospital - a place for the criminally insane, run by Dr. Cawley (Sir Ben Kingsley) along with
From the get go, Shutter Island's atmosphere is dark and it only gets darker as the story progresses. At every turn, Teddy makes a discovery that is one more piece to the larger picture of a conspiracy. It even seems that the conspiracy may have to do with Teddy himself. The stakes are continually raised as Teddy finds himself on the run, trying to uncover the truth, unsure if he can even trust his partner. The only thing that lowers the intensity a notch or two, making it more watchable, is the running time. The movie is stretched out a little longer than many films. Instead of the wham, bam, twist, the end, like many thrillers, this one takes the time to really play out, giving subtle hints at the end that probably are more noticeable the second time through, a la The Sixth Sense - No, Teddy is not dead.
Up until the end (and possibly even after) the viewer is tasked with sorting out the truth, just like Teddy. Having taken too long to see this movie, by the time I did, the ending had been partially given away to me so I can not really voice an opinion on how obvious it was. Even if it does seem obvious, however, I think there is plenty of material here to make you second guess what you think is obvious, which is a good thing, obviously. This is not quite masterpiece quality, but it's very well done, and a good movie to boot.
**** (4/5 stars)
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