'Shutter Island' Review by Kyle Kernan

“Shutter Island” is Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio’s fourth and best collaboration yet. Scorsese blends hard-boiled film noir with gothic terror in his most eloquently horrifying work.

The first thing we see in “Shutter Island” is a ferry slowly emerging from a patch of fog, which immediately feels threatening and foreboding. This is just the first of many actions that Scorsese draws out intentionally to summon feelings of anticipation and dread.

The story centers on Teddy Daniels, played by DiCaprio, and Chuck Aule, played by Mark Ruffalo. They are two U.S. Marshals called to investigate the disappearance of patient Rachel Solando on Shutter Island, an island-prison for the mentally insane off the coast of Massachusetts.

When the U.S. Marshals interrogate the institute’s director Dr. Cawley, played by Ben Kingsley, and his supervisor Dr. Naehring, played by Max von Sydow, it is clear something is amiss. You’d expect them to be anxious or worried, but they are confident and tranquil. Their eerie presence — through Sydow and Kingsley’s brilliantly nuanced performances — denotes something sinister hiding beneath the surface. Our protagonists are powerless in handling it.

Scorsese envelops every inch of the island in ominous terror. Rooms are dimly lit and encased in shadow; an old Civil War fort — part of the prison — has labyrinthine dark corridors. Heavy wind and rain hammer tree branches upon the windows and strange menacing figures haunt every corner.

The movie’s ensemble is brilliant. Ruffalo’s Aule feels contained but edgy as Daniels’ partner. Jackie Earle Haley is perfectly besieged as an inmate. Elias Koteas and Patricia Clarkson make their brief appearances memorable.

Scorsese’s films are usually static but “Shutter Island” has a sense for both the meditative and dynamic. In moments of action, “Shutter Island” is riveting. In depictions of trauma, it’s methodically creepy and surreal. Scorsese’s camera also closes in tight on characters, creating unnerving tension and claustrophobia. Some directors would avoid such angles, but Scorsese is an auteur. His unique style absorbs and mystifies the audience.

As the claustrophobic atmosphere weighs on Daniels, his mind beings to deteriorate. He has abstract dreams of his violent experiences in World War II and of his wife who dies tragically. Michelle Williams, as his wife, personifies shock to a numbing extent. As Daniels loses his grip on reality, his manifestations become peculiar to a point that makes it difficult to distinguish the real from the fantasy.

The island is a portal into Daniels’ worst nightmare as it resurrects things he thought he had long forgotten. One moment of severe trauma is extremely disturbing. DiCaprio’s acting is so real and authentic in this scene, it grows difficult to watch.

This film will beckon you to remember trauma in your own life. You’ll internalize the power of “Shutter Island,” as it will be a nightmare you’ll never forget.