Shutter Island proves Scorsese's talent

Shutter Island recently hit the silver screen and is proving to be everything it was rumored to be. The 138-minute Martin Scorsese film moves at a swift pace with spectacular cinematography. Never does a scene lag, and one demands more from the director. Originally, the film was set to be rated PG-13 to reach a younger audience, however, the required editing would have depleted the story-line. Thus the R rating is not only a reflection of the content of the film, but was a necessity in order to tell the story.

The film is a psychological thriller, "a cross between One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest, Schindler's List, LA Confidential with a touch of Psycho," critiqued Darryl Wooten, an extra on the set. "I even told Mr. Scorsese, and he said, 'Oh, I like that. I'm going to use that.'"

Scorsese is celebrated for films such as Hitchcock, Otto Preminger, and Jacques Tourneur; Leonardo DiCaprio is similarly honored with comparisons to actors like Jimmy Stewart.

Shutter Island is enriched with thought-provoking plot twists ("Food for thought," Wooten says), that allows one to view the film on a superficial plane and be satisfied, entertained, and enthralled. Or, one could delve deeper into the perplexing conspiracies embedded in the storyline and character development. Paranoia spreads through the movie like an infectious disease; DiCaprio's character says, "As if craziness were catching."

The movie without a doubt requires a second, a third, or fourth viewing to understand all its complexities.

Scorsese remains the master of film. He directs his productions with as much detail as Homer. He masterfully employs ploce, having key characters repeat select words and phrases throughout. In addition, using a limited third-person narrative, Scorsese plays with the mind of the audience, making them question the truth of the narrator.

Parallels and juxtapositions abound, as well as doubling-or even tripling characters. Furthermore, the plot-line develops in such a secretive way that the audience is like a "rat in a maze," questioning every turn and fork, never knowing what will come next.

The film actually has three or four endings. The whole production was conducted in strict secrecy. Extras were told that "Leonardo was the most dangerous person on this island," Wooten divulged, yet, during the film's production, it was never revealed why. Everyone and everything was kept in the dark.

Shutter Island has ties with the Boston area. It was shot mostly in and around the North End and Boston Harbor, including Peddock Island, as well as other locations like Tauton's Whitten Mills Complex (for the Dachau concentration camp scenes). Many scenes were filmed in an old state mental hospital in Medfield.

Production for the film began in March 2008, and it was slated for release in October 2009. However, the movie was pushed back until February 2010 because of financial reasons and production issues. One scene even had to be completely re-shot in July 2009 after that portion of film was damaged when it had not been properly sealed in its shipping container. Pushing back the release date also dashed the hopes that Shutter Island could score a few Oscar nods, since it would miss the deadline.

The film is adapted from a novel of the same name by Dorchester-native Dennis Lehane (Mystic River). DiCaprio plays the lead-male role of Teddy Daniels. This is his fourth movie with Scorcese, the second filmed in Boston.

Originally, the film was going to be named Ashecliffe, after the fictional mental hospital where the film is set, but mid-production, the title changed.

"You can tell who worked on the movie, because Leo bought everyone sweatshirts that say 'Ashecliffe' on the back," Wooten revealed. "And then they went and changed the title of the movie!"

DiCaprio is just one in a line-up of impressive talent, including: Mark Ruffalo, Ben Kingsley, Max von Sydow, Michelle Williams, Emily Mortimer, Patricia Clarkson, as well as some faces the audience may remember from other horror films: Ted Levine who plays the serial killer Buffalo Bill in Silence of the Lambs and John Carroll Lynch who plays the suspected killer in Zodiac.

Shutter Island takes place in 1954 in Boston's Outer Harbor at a mental institute called Ashecliffe Hospital. Detective Teddy Daniels and his partner, Chuck Aule, are there to investigate the sudden disappearance of a patient. However, the more they pry into the operations of the hospital, the more they uncover the harsh and sinister treatments the doctors are conducting on patients.

As things further get twisted and confused for Daniels, he wonders if he is being mislead or was lead there for unexplained and dark reasons. A hurricane, meanwhile, cuts off communication with the mainland, and in the disorder, more and more dangerous patients escape or disappear from the institution. As clues multiply or evade Daniels, he becomes paranoid and distressed, succumbing to flashbacks which involve his military service during World War II at the Dachau concentration camp. Daniel disputes the clues, the hospital, his partner, even his sanity as little by little he loses grip with reality.