2010 thriller
Rating: 16/20
Plot: A pair of federal agents head to the titular home for some violently insane humans to figure out if there's a twist to Shutter Island or not.
This is the type of movie that I'd really need to see again before feeling comfortable with any kind of rating. There's a lot that I loved about it--the performances from top to bottom, a terrific score, great imagery (not surprising since Scorsese was borrowing heavily from Hitchcock and Val Lawton), a story that keeps you guessing even if you do accurately figure out exactly what's going on pretty early, a brilliantly simple ending. I'm just not 100% convinced this whole thing would hold up if I watched it again. Then again, a second viewing might just enhance the whole thing. It's about as bleak as a movie can get. Oh, and look! Ben Kingsley!
That's it. I'd love to talk about this one more in the comments though, especially if you're a fan or if you hate it.
I didn't know what to think about this movie after I saw it in the theater. I knew that I liked it (acting, directing, editing, cinematography), but I was stuck thinking about what I just saw as far as story. I thought it was good, but coming out of a Scorsese movie with the caliber films I'm used to seeing, I just didn't have that solid, satisfied feeling I usually have. I didn't walk out of the theater saying, "I just saw Scorsese's movie. Nailed it."
ReplyDeleteI wasn't sure what be was going for. I knew he was going for mystery and suspense. I knew he was going for ominous. I knew he was going for gritty & dramatic. But I was wondering about the plot and the ending. It felt weird. It felt almost too simple. Plus, I really hate endings to mysteries when the audience can't figure out the ending on their own. I love Columbo or Burke's Law where the audience is given as many clues as the detective. It was just that they were put together more creatively.
Still, the movie stuck with me, which I guess is the point of any movie...
Those are just about my feelings...
ReplyDeleteExcept I really liked the ending and didn't really see it as anything we had to figure out at all. It wasn't ambiguous, was it?
Yeah, that simple ending almost changed the mood and genre of the movie. I thought it was going to be a mystery where we got to see the protagonist "get his man." But, the sudden switch almost changed the fact that Leo was the protagonist. I just didn't see it landing there and staying there...
ReplyDeleteI thought it was good. I don't remember not liking the ending. It just felt a little awkward. Like I went into the movie thinking it was a mysterious, gritty, suspenseful movie, and it delivered until the last 10 minutes where we get this other storyline which has been "happening all along." I got it; I just felt like saying, "Oh, that's it. Ok."
I was pretty sure there was a twist in the movie, and knowing that made it easy to figure out well before it was actually revealed.
ReplyDeleteLeo was always the protagonist. And in a way, it was a happy ending because he had complete control over his fate at the end of the movie.
I know what you mean here. I'd be interested in seeing this again to see if it all holds up, but I probably won't.