Shutter Island (2010)

Superb Thriller - 4.5/5

So I saw this film called 'Shutter Island'. After seeing this film I would describe as a psychological thriller with elements of horror thrown in set on a tortured rock in the middle of the ocean. I think that sets the scene in your mind fairly well. Leonardo DiCaprio is becoming more and more associated with twisted films and hidden meaning and has certainly come a long way from the days of 'Titanic'. With his inclusion in 'Shutter Island' and 'Inception' 2010 was a huge year for DiCaprio and it surely must be nearing his time for an Oscar win. I would argue that no actor made a bigger impact on the film scene of 2010.

When watching 'Shutter Island' after 'Inception', there are many clear similarities between DiCaprio's performances and elements of the films themselves despite there being no real link between the films aside from their leading man. What struck me most was the similarity between the music used, and I was shocked to find that the genius that is Hans Zimmer was not the controlling hand of the music for 'Shutter Island'. We can see further similarities in DiCaprio's performances; in both roles we see the characters confusion and anger brewing and in both roles DiCaprio excelled. Until the release of these two films he wasn't, in my mind, much of an action/thriller film type of guy. I still remember him in films such as 'Titanic' and 'Romeo & Juliet' and I found it hard to believe he would be convincing in either role. However, I was overjoyed at being proved wrong on both these points.

The screenplay for 'Shutter Island' was magnificent and at no point during the film did it hint too strongly and what was to happen at the end and thereby did not ruin what turned out to be a magnificent twist in the plot. The ending was pure genius; a wide-eyed moment of gasping in air as you come to realise the truth, followed by a long debate about the meaning behind the film and explanations of the plot to yourself and others. DiCaprio's final line was so beautifully written and portrayed in such a poignant manner that it left us only with empathy towards his character. I'm sure there would have been some less than dry eyes in the audience at this point. This film is truly stunning and is one of the best thrillers I have seen in a long while.
Would I recommend it? Duh.