So I went and saw Shutter Island yesterday despite having read a slew of less than complimentary reviews. After seeing it, I tend to agree with most of the criticism, although I think a lot of the shots critics have been taking at Leo in regards to his accent and his overacting are harsh and a bit unwarranted.
The performances in the movie were good, if not great. Leo is a serviceable leading man, but Scorcese's recent obsession with him is becoming a little strange. He is just too soft and lacks the hint of craziness in his eyes required to be one-hundred percent believable as an undercover-cop/Irish gangster or a WWII veteran/U.S. Marshall with issues with headaches and paranoia. What's weird is, he actually used to have that quality. If you go back and watch Basketball Diaries, he was pretty damn convincing as a strung out dope-fiend. Does anyone think he would be able to pull that role off now? Ben Kingsley was solid as usual, as was Mark Ruffalo. We even got a few scenes with Ted Levine, the dude who played Buffalo Bill in Silence of the Lambs. A cameo from Jame Gumb is always a welcome treat. Really, the only performance I have an issue with was Michelle Williams', who plays Leo's late wife. If you thought Leo's attempt at a Boston accent was hard to listen to, wait until you hear Jen from Dawson's Creek do her Will Hunting impression.
Along with the decent performances, the movie succeeded, for the most part, in creating a sense of suspense throughout most of the first two acts. The score was a bit heavy handed at times, but to put up much of a complaint about that would be nit-picking. The setting of the actual island was pretty cool and worked well in terms of creating the creepy vibe Scorsese was aiming for.
Where the film failed was in the plot department. I won't go into specifics right now, because any description of the plot, beyond the very basics would spoil the ending. For those of you that have not seen the movie, it is basically about two U.S. Marshals (Leo and Ruffalo) who are sent to an island off the coast of Boston which is home to a mysterious mental institution for the criminally insane to investigate the disappearance of one of the inmates. For those of you who have seen the movie and would like my take on how the plot could have been made infinitely cooler, please continue reading. If you haven't seen the movie and do not want the ending spoiled for you, please stop reading now.
BIG-TIME SPOILER ALERTS AHEAD!
Ok, so if you have seen the movie, then you know that Leo is, in fact, crazy and has been a patient/prisoner of the institution since he murdered his wife. Actually, calling what Leo did to his wife murder is a bit of a stretch. He shot her after coming home and finding out that she had drowned their three children. In order to cope with the trauma, Leo invents a complex scenario in his head that his wife died in a fire and the reason that he is on Shutter Island is for the purpose of an investigation. In order to try to snap him out of his delusion, Ben Kingsley, the institutions head doctor decides to set up a scenario in which Leo gets to role play his entire fantasy. Mark Rufalo, who in reality is his psychiatrist, is cast as his U.S. Marshal partner. Eventually Leo is filled in about the details of this plan and, for a moment, remembers the truth about his circumstances. However, at the end he relapses back into his fantasy world and it is suggested that he goes on to be lobotomized... If that sounded a tad convoluted and difficult to follow, it is because it sort of was.
Here is my idea for how Shutter Island could have been way better:
Scorsese should have taken the Sixth Sense approach to this plot. Instead of having Kingsley actually create this investigation farce, the entire story should have taken place in Leo's head. That way at the end, when it is revealed that he is actually insane (much like it was revealed that Bruce Willis was indeed dead) people would be blown away and want to watch the movie over again to look for clues throughout movie that would indicate what was really going on. I realize that this would require some minor tweaks to the story and dialog, but I think it could have been done and if it had been done Shutter Island could have been an extremely cool mindfuck of a movie.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment