Quartile rating: 8.5/10 · 1 rating
World War II soldier-turned-U.S. Marshal Teddy Daniels investigates the disappearance of a patient from a hospital for the criminally insane, but his efforts are compromised by troubling visions and a mysterious doctor.
Shutter Island is a masterfully constructed psychological thriller. Scorsese's direction yields stunning, oppressive cinematography that builds dread throughout. DiCaprio delivers a career-best performance anchoring an excellent ensemble. The plot is intricately layered with its twist landing with genuine emotional weight. The ending is haunting and morally complex, elevating the material above genre convention. Novelty scores slightly lower as the 'unreliable narrator in a mental institution' trope has precedents, and the twist, while executed brilliantly, follows a recognizable template — but the film's neo-noir atmosphere and Scorsese's singular craft make it highly distinctive nonetheless.