Shutter Island

I have to admit I didn't get what I was expecting from Shutter Island.

That can be a good thing in a movie and one thing I could say is that it wasn't predictable (at least from where I was sitting, a few others thought otherwise).

Set in 1954, US Marshal Teddy Daniels (Leonardo DiCaprio) arrives at Shutter Island, a mental hospital for the criminally insane, to investigate the disappearance of a patient.

His arrival, along with fellow Marshal Chuck Aule (Mark Ruffalo), is met with a rather frosty reception from those in charge on the island.

On the surface they are pleasant enough but once Daniels starts asking questions they shut him down fast, particularly the leading physician Dr John Cawley (Ben Kingsley) who is very reluctant to pass on information.

As he investigates the facilities Daniels is haunted by dreams of his dead wife (Michelle Williams) and suffers debilitating headaches.

Things take a turn when he discovers a note that asks 'Who is number 67', referring to the fact there are 66 patients on the island but an extra, secret, patient is suspected.

Overall, the feel of the film is tense and no doubt Martin Scorsese put a lot of effort into creating that feel. I must add thought that a few scenes were pretty poorly shot, particularly involving the scenery behind the conversations during car travel.

The actors are solid and I thought Leo held the film together pretty well (I'm not a massive fan).

As I said I left having seen something I didn't really expect.

It was a shade slow to start off but once the film hit its straps it was very engaging but I can't go any higher than 7 out of 10. It was interesting but could have been a bit better.