A Voice in the Wilderness In Defense of "Mere Conservatism"

Shutter Island: Hitchcock-inspired, Moeller-approved

by: R.J. Moeller

My favorite director is Alfred Hitchcock.  No one told a story on the silver screen quite like "old Hitch."  I especially love Vertigo, North By Northwest, and Notorious.  Hitchcock mastered the psychological thriller, loved setting his stories amidst grandiose backdrops and landscapes, always paid great attention to detail, and usually crafted tales about characters who get caught up in things beyond their control.

Martin Scorsese is a legendary director in his own right, and although I am not very fond of his obsession with making ultra-violent films, his latest effort Shutter Island, is an effective homage to the greatness of Hitchcock.

As your eyes could tell you from the trailer, Leonardo DiCaprio stars in Shutter Island and does a fantastic job.

It's 1954 (the year Hitch's classic Rear Window was released), and U.S. Marshall Teddy Daniels (Leo) has been called to investigate the disappearance of an inmate at an island mental hospital for the criminally insane called Ashecliff off the coast of Massachusetts.  Teddy's got his new partner Chuck (Mark Ruffalo) along for the investigation, but upon arrival, it becomes apparent to the characters (and audience) that something is not quite right on Shutter Island.

The prison guards are abnormally fidgety, the Marshals are both asked to turn over their firearms (something no federal agent typically has to do), and there is absolutely no trace of the woman who allegedly escaped.  The man running things on Shutter Island is Dr. John Cawley, played exquisitely by Academy Award winner Ben Kingsley, who seems to be thoroughly disinterested in actually helping Teddy and Chuck piece the clues together.

Due to forces beyond their control (a hurricane-like storm that hits the island), the two detectives are stranded overnight and we begin to learn more about Teddy's back-story and what really brought him to the island.

Before becoming a Marshal, Teddy was a soldier in WWII and was personally there for the liberation of the concentration camp at Dachau.  He is plagued by the senseless death and destruction he witnessed in Europe.  To compound his own emotional health issues, Teddy is a grieving widower.  His wife, he claims, was killed in a fire that ravaged the apartment building the two of them had lived in back in Boston.

We learn Teddy requested the assignment to Shutter Island because he believes two key things:  First, that the man who started the fire that killed his wife is imprisoned somewhere on the island.  And second, that Nazi-like medical and psychological tests are being conducted on the criminally insane housed there.  He wants to both confront the killer of his beloved deceased, and gather evidence against the doctors he believes are torturing the patients.

Twists and turns in the story abound from there.

I don't want to give away much more about the plot of Shutter Island.  It's a compelling script with superb acting performances turned in by almost every major and minor character.  The music was disturbing and perfectly set the mood for the entire film (another Hitchcock special).  The psychological twists and turns absolutely keep you on your toes, and as soon as the credits role you will likely feel compelled to start your own group therapy session in hopes of figuring out what exactly just happened over the previous two hours and seventeen minutes.

Shutter Island is rated R for language and intense scenes of death (mostly from shots of concentration camp victims).  Do not take your grandma to this movie.

While not an "instant classic" or "must see", if you like great acting, Hitchcock-like storytelling and maintaining an uneasy feeling in the pit of your stomach for more than two hours, go see Shutter Island (and let me know what you thought of it if you already have).