Thursday, June 09, 2022
Shutter Island
- Commentary: This movie received highly contradictory critiques, from being considered a high best film of 2010 to being declared not having been worth making. It created so much critical controversy that, aside from triggering more than one critic to produce a review of this movie on RogerEbert.com, there were also several critics who opined about the issues the movie raised for them. The immediately previous link takes you to the simple search I performed for the movie's title, which typically brings up only one review per movie.
I found the movie intriguing, involving, enjoyable and ultimately entertainingly disturbing. It was sent to me by MFS, out of the blue. After I watched the film I wondered why she picked it out for me. I still haven't asked her, but now it doesn't matter. I've watched it three times since I received it. I find that with each viewing, I discover something that I need to bookmark in my mind and pull out on a next watching. In fact, I think I might watch it, again, tonight, now that I'm thinking of it.
Although it appears to have a highly complicated plot, by the end you realize that the complications are solely in the main character's mind, not in yours, which, in a sense, increases the satisfaction in watching it. It is also, for me, a bit scary to watch. After the second watching, I found myself speculating that a similar type of confusion could easily afflict me. I wouldn't have the excuse of murder to drive me to confound myself, but there's enough odd about my life that I can imagine becoming troubled over my deep contemplation of myself and not being able to exit. That is the power of this movie. Although few of us are outright murderers, most of us feel deadly guilty about some incident in our lives. Even my mother had such an incident. When she finally told me what it was, it seemed benign enough to me. It did not involve the murder or even the mistreatment of someone. It involved an incident in which she realized she was unfairly prejudiced against a particular group of people (not because of color, because of religion). It did not involve an opportunity to make direct amends. Upon discovering her prejudice she immediately set about conquering it, but the memory of the discovery haunted her, literally, to her dying day, for a full 40+ years, even though she was successful in understanding and overcoming it.
So, essentially, for me, this movie is a reminder that our monsters, as well as our angels, are just beneath the surface, ready, equally, to take advantage of any opportunity to escape.
Update 6/9/2022: This post was originally published on 8/14/16 but disappeared from public view. I am now reinstating it.
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Leonardo DiCaprio Edward Daniels Mark Ruffalo Chuck Aule Ben Kingsley Dr. John Cawley Max von Sydow Dr. Jeremiah Naehring Michelle Williams Dolores Chanal Emily Mortimer Nurse Portraying Rachel Solando Patricia Clarkson Rachel Solando Jackie Earle Haley George Noyce John Carroll Lynch 1st Deputy Warden McPherson Joseph Sikora Glen Miga Ted Levine The Warden Elias Koteas Andrew Laeddis Ruby Jerins Little Girl Robin Bartlett Bridget Kearns Curtiss Cook Trey Washington Christopher Denham Peter Breene
Here is the Wikipedia write-up for this film.
Release Date: 2010
Directed by Martin Scorsese.
Labels: ben-kingsley, drama2, dream1, emily-mortimer, leonardo-dicaprio, martin-scorsese, max-von-sydow, mystery1, neo-noirC, psychological1
