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Had it not been directed by Martin Scorsese, “Shutter Island” probably would have vanished into the muddle of twisty, “gotcha!” thrillers.
Adapted by Laeta Kalogridis from the novel by Dennis Lehane, the story is smart and absorbing, but it’s begging for some hack to turn it into a cheap trick — tightening the noose around the neck of the audience before kicking out the foot stool, dashing from the room and switching off the light. In the hands of Scorsese, who fully realizes the twists and makes grimly gorgeous the creepy subplots, it’s the welcome opposite: A fun and focused exercise in artful manipulation.
In a performance more suited to the Oscar-ready holiday season than oft-barren February, Leonardo DiCaprio is commandingly fierce and affectingly fragile as Teddy, a U.S. Marshal who, along with his partner (Mark Ruffalo), sets out to a mental institution on a Boston island to investigate the disappearance of a patient. It’s an intense ride, following DiCaprio as he snakes his way through this ominous mystery, his fourth collaboration with Scorsese. The actor is clearly at home — every action is confident, every emotion in harmony with the director’s vision.
Most laudable are the ways Scorsese makes the film, which opened at No. 1 last weekend, his own. The setting is a singular wonder of gloomy atmosphere — all perilous cliffs, woods, hallways, caverns and vicious weather — but, more importantly, the era (early 1950s) is ever-present. “Shutter Island” has all the vintage stylings of a Hitchcock noir. Scorsese’s also assembled one meaty supporting cast, reaping chilling turns from Ben Kingsley, Michelle Williams, Jackie Earle Haley and the great Patricia Clarkson.
Many will want to take in this film again, myself included. There’s the urge to retrace, to see if Scorsese covered his tracks. My guess is the meticulous master didn’t leave a single detail unaccounted for.
Shutter Island
R
Three-and-a-half reels out of four
In area theaters now
Where the Wild Things Are
PG
Available Tuesday
With his overly somber, but deeply personal translation of Maurice Sendak’s immortal children’s book, “Where the Wild Things Are,” writer/director Spike Jonze wildly and accurately captures the essence of childhood, an achievement he shares with co-writer Dave Eggers.
Fittingly, the tone and events seem to have sprung from the mind of a 9-year-old, thriving on anarchy and marked by emotional peaks and valleys. The old-school look is earthy and tactile, and the voice work from the likes of James Gandolfini and Catherine O’Hara is wonderfully untamed.
It’s not specifically for kids or grown-ups, but for grown-up kids.
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