I saw Shutter Island in theaters in 2010 and was instantly infatuated with it. Since then, I’ve watched it numerous times at home. I’ve watched it with people who enjoy psychological thrillers and with some who would normally stay away from the genre, but I have yet to encounter anyone who doesn’t like it. I’m sure those people are out there, as it is not a flawless film, but those people are simply wrong.

What is It?

Teddy Daniels (Leonardo Dicaprio) is a U.S. Marshal assigned to a case at the Ashcliff Asylum to help locate the patient who escaped, Rachel Solando. He’s joined by another marshal he had never met before named Chuck (Mark Ruffalo), who seems eager to help but does not appear to be very experienced. Upon arriving at the island-based asylum and giving up their firearms, they meet the head of the facility, Dr. Cawley (Ben Kingsley), who has a radical strategy for the era when it comes to treating people with mental illnesses. He’s the type who believes in treating patients with respect, trying to help them via different social therapy methods, and avoiding medication or lobotomies when possible. Other doctors and several of the security staff do not share Cawley’s perspective, but the genial man seems to hold a surprising amount of control over the facility in a way that makes Daniels suspicious of his true intentions.

As Teddy and Chuck investigate the missing person case and interview more and more people, a mystery begins to unfold. It’s revealed over time that there are some tragic events in Teddy’s past that have led him here. He’s looking for a man by the name of Andrew Leaddis, whom he believes is somewhere on the island. There are also stirrings of potential Nazi-type experimentation on some of the patients of the asylum. As they get deeper and deeper into the case, strange things start happening, Teddy’s suspicions reach a fever pitch, and it becomes more and more apparent that he may never leave the island.

What Makes it Stand Out

Shutter Island is a movie of dread and tragedy, from beginning to end. As soon as the film begins, it sets the tone with its music and visuals. A ferry appears out of the fog to the dooming exhales of cellos. As the two marshals are brought into the compound, the camera angles accentuate the extreme levels of security and control the facility has, while the string instruments get more and more intense, giving a feeling that the men are walking into a trap they can’t escape. The music does not always have this same level of intensity the whole time, however. There are other moments in which potent classical melodies are played to match the emotion of the scene. Even though many of the songs are not part of the original score, that doesn’t stop it from being extremely important to the experience, without being overtly obvious. This is a movie that should be watched at high volume because the music helps draw you into the scene and build the drama of the mystery. There’s a lot more to Shutter Island than just its atmosphere and music, however.

The acting in this movie is fantastic. While Dicaprio commands the film with his ability to play a sympathetic character who is always on the verge of becoming unhinged, my favorite performer in this movie is Ben Kingsley. He’s able to play this mysterious doctor in a way that the first time you see Shutter Island, you cannot be sure of his intentions. He comes across as small and unassuming in how the camera often positions him next to the other actors, but he always seems to know something the others don’t. Kingsley is able to portray Dr. Cawley as a man who seems to have good intentions, but who also may be as just as malicious and dangerous as Teddy suspects.

It’s a fully-stacked cast of big names, but even the actors who only appear for one or two scenes deliver in a way that is convincing if not memorable. Elias Koteas shows up for less than ten minutes total, but you remember his face for the rest of the movie, wondering when he’ll return. Jackie Earle Haley gives a stunning performance in his scene that jumps all over the place with emotions. Ted Levine channels a confident intensity as the warden when he interacts with Teddy in a way that makes us just as certain as Teddy that there is something wrong with Ashcliff. And the moments with Emily Mortimer are unpredictable and disturbing.

Perhaps the most memorable detail about Shutter Island is how the mystery ultimately unfolds and the movie ends. I won’t spoil it here because, even though it’s a movie from 2010, it’s a film that benefits from you not knowing what to expect. When you finally find out who Andrew Laeddis is, what is really going on at the asylum, and who are the real people with good intentions, it comes together in a way that manages to make sense without ruining it the second time you see the film. Movies that have shocking twists can sometimes lose their luster on repeated viewings, but Shutter Island uses smart direction, clever editing, and deliberate placement of small details to ensure that it’s still entertaining, even if you know its secrets.

Why You’re Wrong if You Disagree

Noir is a genre that can be difficult to do well. The mystery has to be interesting enough for the audience to want to know the answer. The twists and turns of the story have to be engaging and somewhat unpredictable. The characters have to be compelling, if not complex. Shutter Island is an example of a high-budget, modern Noir film that we just aren’t likely to see again soon, if at all. With all the garbage that has come out of Hollywood since 2010, the writing for movies has only seemed to have gotten worse and worse. I simply do not have faith in filmmakers, other than a short list of specific individuals, to be able to craft a mystery thriller that manages to be as surprising and entertaining. I also think that many wouldn’t dare tackle the subjects that Shutter Island does in a way that is as tactful and respectful as it is dark. It tells a melancholic story with deeply flawed characters who do terrible things, but who manage to be sympathetic and captivating. I’ve seen movies in the horror and thriller genres attempt this and fail many times in the past few years to a depressing degree.

Shutter Island is simply a movie where all the various moving pieces come together to make a masterpiece. The acting, the directing, the camera, the editing, and the music all work well with each other to deliver a movie that is consistent where it needs to be, and inconsistent in the right moments as well—it makes you question what is real and feel like you’re going crazy in the asylum with Teddy. Yet, when everything is explained at the end, it’s convincing and emotionally powerful because of the stellar acting of the cast. When it’s all over, you can go back and watch it again, and the movie still manages to deliver in a way that is just as impressive and does not feel gimmicky as other mystery thrillers sometimes do.

TL;DR

From the acting to the atmosphere, Shutter Island pulls you in with a haunting and unbelievable mystery that manages to become convincing by the end. It’s a modern Noir film that hits all the right notes. It often is classified as a thriller, but it has some disturbing moments and imagery that could easily put it in the horror category. Yet, even people who don’t like horror have told me how much they enjoyed it. There’s a lot to Shutter Island under the surface that helps make the experience just as captivating the second, third, and fortieth time you see it. Even though it’s the only movie in which Dicaprio and director Martin Scorsese produced together that did not receive any Academy Award nominations, I would argue that it was the best one.