Eddie Daniels (Leonardo DiCaprio) is not comfortable on the water, to the point where he gets more than queasy – he is downright nauseous.  But it's the price he pays in order for him and his partner, fellow U.S. Marshal Chuck Aule (Mark Ruffalo), to use the ferry which takes them to Shutter Island, situated in Boston Harbor, on official business.  A prisoner of the facility there has escaped.  This is no ordinary facility, but an insane asylum for the criminally insane – in other words, whackjobs with issues and a penchant for violence.  Great combination.  And on top of that, Eddie can't find his smokes. 
 
The ferry is the only way on…or off…the island, and the ferry driver is anxious that they get off quickly, as a major storm is brewing.  The two marshals are met upon arrival by Deputy Warden McPherson (John Carroll Lynch) and his band of less than merry men.  When Eddie asks for details of the missing patient, none are forthcoming and he is referred to the warden.  Eddie finds this very annoying, but he keeps his cool.
 
By the way, the year is 1954, and welcome to Martin Scorsese's Shutter Island.
 

Shutter Island is a mental facility with a twist – it houses only the criminally insane.  Everyone here is a danger to himself – and to others.  The prisoners, whom Warden Cawley (Ben Kingsley) insists upon referring to as patients, are housed in three buildings – the men are in A, the women in B and the worst of the worst are in C. Before they pass through the gates, McPherson lays down the rules – they must surrender their weapons, and in order to visit C, they need written permission from the Warden and himself, and that ain't happening.  Other than the asylum and the lighthouse, there is nothing else on this island.
 
As Daniels and Aule delve into this classical locked room mystery – a female patient has supposedly escaped from a locked room with no apparent means of egress, gotten past all the guards and simply vanished somewhere on this harsh island with no hiding places, barefoot, no less – they find that those in charge are less than cooperative.  Daniels has his own demons which dog him, in the form of the ghost of his late wife, who tells him he has to leave this place while he still can.  Daniels demands to see all the records of the staff and inmates alike – a request that is denied, to his great fury.  He decides to hell with it, they are out of there on the next morning's ferry.  But a major storm has hit, and that becomes a non-viable solution.  So they continue to dig for the truth, even as we learn that Daniels has a hidden agenda of his own, concerning his dead wife and the man who is responsible for her death, whom he believes to be at Shutter Island.
 
While nature's fury rages about them, can Daniels come to grips with the mystery of the missing inmate, as well as his own personal burden?  What of his dreams, his flashbacks to his military days when he was one of the liberators of Dachau?  Is Dr. Naehring (Max von Sydow) the Nazi Daniels claims that he is?  And the missing Rachel – murderer of her own three children – where can she be hiding on this God-forsaken island?  And why is everyone seemingly trying to hinder his investigation?
 
S.H.
 
There is no doubt that so far, Shutter Island is a break from Scorsese's usual kind of film; there had been subtle elements of magical realism in Gangs of New York, but it is with his latest that such an element comes out in full force.  Also, it is creepy.  Like, super creepy times a hundred.  It has a horribly chilling atmosphere, so much so that every silent corridor, every snapping twig and sudden movement is as frightening as a sudden gunshot or a person coming out of nowhere.  It's a shame that this was hampered by a heavy-handed use of the orchestra – a lot of scenes at the beginning could have benefited from a lack of musical accompaniment.  Despite the soundtrack's flaws, the camera work is excellent; director of photography Robert Richardson has an expert hand at choosing what the camera should focus on and how that works well with the story (not surprising as he seems to be Scorsese's go-to man for so many of his projects when it comes to cinematography).
 
The acting is stellar, with the entire cast putting their best efforts into their roles.  Leonardo DiCaprio has truly shown that he's not only the mature leading man that Hollywood's been looking for, but that he has the emotional range to handle different roles.  He has made himself a valuable asset in the world of film: he is truly a star that everyone should be watching.  His supporting cast is not overshadowed by DiCaprio's acting; Mark Ruffalo turns in a tremendous effort as Eddie's new partner Chuck, and Ben Kingsley is once again top-notch in his role.  Look out for Jackie Earle Haley as one of the inmates – even though he only shows up for a short time, he works well in the atmosphere of the asylum.
 
As for the story itself, it is definitely a topsy-turvy ride of the imagination with an ending that, depending on the viewer, is either a total surprise or something you saw coming.  I did not see the twist coming, although I had suspicions that things were not what they seemed.  It's one of those films that leave a bread crumb trail of small clues through the narrative so when you come to the big reveal, you slowly begin to realize that mostly everything had been hinted at beforehand.  People who dislike the kinds of twists that are common in M. Night Shyamalan's works may find umbrage with this, but unlike the twists in Signs and The Village, it does not feel forced or completely out of the blue.  Now, does the story make sense in retrospect?  Do the actions of the staff of the island seem rational for professionals in the psychiatric field?  Honestly, not really.  But for all the things Shutter Island does wrong, it does so many things so right that those few flaws are outshone by the brilliance of the overall product.
 

J.H.
 
I admit that I never saw the ending coming either, although I kept guessing at it – but the truth both stunned and awed me as I turned it about in my brain, questioning it until it all came together in a sequence worthy of The Usual Suspects.  The atmosphere of Shutter Island is deliciously sinister, the cinematography is indeed most excellent, and there are some sequences that are visually quite stunning.  I didn’t recognize Michelle Williams in her role as Leo’s deceased wife, but I was delighted to find Ted Levine in a supporting role.  And of course there is the magnificent Max Von Sydow to lend his strength as well.  This is one film you will be glad you saw, and you’ll find yourself thinking about it afterwards.
 
 
ComicsOnline gives Shutter Island 4.5 out of 5 migraine headaches.