Shutter Island - 28th May 2013

Here at Tuesday Night is Film Night we get to watch the film of the book tonight. (Yes, we have read the book), but will it be the same, better or worse, as we head towards;

Shutter Island

Not sure where to start with Shutter Island. The story is tricky to explain, without giving too much away, so I will only outline the basics.

The book by Dennis LeHane was brilliant, however would the cross over to film work? Would the layers of complexity found in the book be lost on screen? Again, a tricky one.

OK, let's just lay out the story and list the cast.

Leonardo DiCaprio stars as Teddy Daniels, a US Marshal sent to Shutter Island, to investigate the disappearance of a female patient, who was incarcerated on the island for murder. I should point out that Shutter Island is the home of Ashecliffe Hospital, a hospital for the criminally insane.

Teddy is partnered by Chuck Aule, played by Mark Ruffalo and between them, they try to start to unravel the disappearance of Rachel Salando. They are met at the hospital by Dr Cawley, one of the head psychiatrists at the institution. Sir Ben Kingsley puts in a fantastic performance as Dr Cawley, who seems to be somewhat obstructive to the Marshal's investigations.

Another cast member of note, is the great Max Von Sydow, as Dr Naehring. It's not a huge part, but one that is delivered with aplomb. You may remember Mr Von Sydow from such films as Flash and Escape To Victory.

Back to the plot. There is a lot more to Teddy Daniels than meets the eye. It transpires he has been waiting to get onto the island, to try to find another patient at the hospital, who he believes killed his wife in an arson attack on their home. So there is a multiplicity of threads to the story, which in the book has further complexity that doesn't quite make it to the film. One aspect that the film did very well, was the flashbacks in Teddy's life, that are key to the story. And these flashbacks are better on film than their are in the book, as you have no need to visualise the scenario and it is apparent that they are a flashback.

However, that is where the story outlining must end, as you have to watch the film, or read the book to discover what really goes on, on Shutter Island. There is clearly a twist in this tale. And a cracking on at that.

DiCaprio is utterly fantastic as Teddy Daniels. He portrays the clever and sharp witted Marshal with a gritty edge, but can turn on the water works, in the more delicate or distressing scenes.

I think, over all, the film does the book justice, but I would always read the book first, that way you will appreciate some of the depth within the story, that doesn't quite make it to the screen.

Onto the scores. Shutter Island gets a respectable 8 out of 10.