About.com Rating

Shutter Island is a bit of a departure for director Martin Scorsese, a noir-ish mystery that abandons New York City and the criminal underworld he so often explores in favor of a twisty whodunit set in an island insane asylum -- a location more akin to a horror movie than to his usual crime dramas. But can the master of mobsters pull off something more macabre?

The Plot

In 1954, US marshal Teddy Daniels (Leonardo DiCaprio) arrives at a Boston Harbor island that houses a hospital for the criminally insane.

Accompanying him is his new partner Chuck Aule (Mark Ruffalo), who's recently transferred from Seattle. They've been assigned to a case of a missing patient named Rachel Solando who seemingly vanished without a trace one night.

Despite reporting the missing patient, chief hospital psychiatrist Dr. John Cawley (Ben Kingsley) is strangely evasive when questioned, refusing to let the marshals look into the patients' records. Nonetheless, the two investigators uncover cryptic clues -- notes, warnings from patients -- that deepen the mystery, and during the night, Teddy's dreams of his dead wife (Michelle Williams) only add to his belief that there's more to Rachel's disappearance than meets the eye.

As they delve deeper, the marshals begin to suspect that the hospital is engaged in sinister activities, perhaps related to German doctor Jeremiah Naering (Max von Sydow) and his possible ties to a Nazi regime that Teddy had helped overthrow years earlier during World War II. Visions of wartime atrocities still haunt Teddy, as do thoughts of his wife dying in a fire.

But what no one knows is that he has a secret motive for coming to the island, a mission that collides headlong with the mysteries that surround the hospital.

The End Result

Shutter Island treads into the pulp territory last visited by Scorsese in his 1991 remake of Cape Fear, and his love of that vintage style of suspense thriller is apparent in this throwback period piece. It's full of dark and stormy nights, shadowy figures, hard-boiled characters and cryptic conversations that revel in old school dramatic flair -- much more successfully so than the overblown Cape Fear. But it also ties in with Scorsese's ongoing theme of flawed characters searching for redemption.

Though it's a showcase for DiCaprio, no individual cast member here is particularly transcendent. Rather, as a collective group, they bring their veteran experience to pull off a story that proves sillier than it should be. With even bit parts played by sizable names (Jackie Earle Haley, Patricia Clarkson, Emily Mortimer, Elias Koteas), Shutter Island plays a bit like an ensemble piece with rich characters who could carry a sizable portion of the film themselves.

The undulating plot builds to a twist ending that should surprise few audience members in this jaded post-Shyamalan era. It's a telegraphed twist that we've seen several times before, with a slight variation that actually makes it a bit more ridiculous, but in the hands of Scorsese, the action crackles, and the grim coastal hospital setting freshens up the familiar material. The script meanwhile has enough multi-level intrigue to keep viewers involved in the "mysteries within the mystery" even if they feel that they can predict the conclusion. Plus, there's a final bow on the ending that lends a nice melancholy touch.

The Skinny

• Acting: B (Not award-worthy, but strong all around.)
• Direction: B (Picturesque, suspenseful and emotional.)
• Script: B- (Has enough nuances and richness of detail to overcome a telegraphed finale.)
• Gore/Effects: C+ (Some artificiality with the CGI landscapes.)
• Overall: B (A sharp, if predictable, thriller with A-list talent delivering a B-plus product.)

Shutter Island is directed by Martin Scorsese and is rated R by the MPAA for disturbing violent content, language and some nudity. Release date: February 19, 2010.