Spoiler Island

There are so many good things to say about Martin Scorsese's new collaboration with Leonard DiCaprio.; the meticulously constructed script, imposing set design, dramatic 50's style score, beautiful frame composition or the authentic costume design. The cast (only the very best for Mr Scorsese) are superb from the always solid DiCaprio, theatrical Sir Ben Kingsley to the enigmatic Michelle Williams.

Shutter Island follows DiCaprio's US Marshall Teddy Daniels to a remote psychological institute where the worst of the most insane and apparently untreatable of America's mental patients are sent. Teddy's there with his new partner to investigate the disappearance of a female patient. But he also has a more personal, secretive agenda to locate and confront the arsonist who killed his wife.
But, as with all psychological thrillers, all is not what it seems. The 2 hour plus running time rockets along as the twist and turns, conspiracies and secrets are gradually revealed. But...

...And it's a big but...like many movies with a twist (A Perfect Getaway for example) the movie's success is based on a delicate balancing act; make the twist convincing enough for an audience to accept...but also hid the twist as much as possible so audience don't see it coming.

And I saw it coming. I suspected the type of story Shutter Island was telling right from the trailer. And perhaps because of that, I was alert, right from the opening scenes as to where this film may go....looking for clues, visual references that would lay the groundwork for the narrative that lied ahead. After all, you can't just thrust a dramatic change in story direction on an audience (unless you're From Dusk Till Dawn!), you have to incorporate it into the earlier story to taunt the audience that the clues were in front of their faces the entire time. There's a handful of films that have already explored this kind of revelation with great success, and because I was extremely familiar with these works, I was already primed with Shutter's potential story outcome. I won't mention those film titles here, so as not to spoil it for you, but if you don't give a shit then those similar stories are to be found here, here, here and here.

So, like A Perfect Getaway you have here a great movie...but than unfortunately predictable conclusion. I feel like the curmudgeonly film critic in Lady in the Water, using my extensive film knowledge to spoil the end of the movie...but for myself. But if I'd not seen a psychological thriller in my life, or was trashed out of my skull...Shutter Island might have blown me away.