Reviewed by Drav3n
Format: Blu-ray
Release: June 8, 2010
Rated: R
Runtime: 138 Minutes
"Which would be worse: to live as a monster or die as a good man?"
The Movie: 
Martin Scorses and Leonardo DiCaprio team up for the fourth time since 2002 to bring us Shutter Island . The first film where we see Scorsese and DiCaprio was in "Gangs of New York." They teamed up again for the 2004 film "The Aviator," again in 2006 for "The Departed," and here in 2010 for "Shutter Island." Shutter Island currently serves as the best box office opening for Scorsese and for Dicaprio, and also became Scorsese's highest grossing film worldwide. But was the movie worth the hype?
The movie is based on the novel of the same name by author Dennis Lehane (who also wrote "Mystic River" and "Gone, Baby, Gone"). The film takes place in the year 1954, US Marshal Teddy Daniels and his new partner, Chuck Aule, have been sent to Shutter Island, home of Ashecliffe Hospital for the criminally insane, to investigate a rather odd and unexplained disappearance. Rachel Solando, a murderer who drowned her three children, is the prisoner patient that is on the loose on this island, despite having been kept under constant surveillance in a locked and guarded cell. As a killer hurricane tears down on the island, hints of experimentation and covert government machinations add darker and sinister shades to a bizarre case. Nothing at Ashecliffe Hospital is what it seems. Nothing.
Yes, this movie is that good! I can't think of one thing I didn't like about this film. If there's one thing you can always count on in a Scorsese film, it's always the casting. Academy Award nominee Leonardo DiCaprio, Academy Award winner Ben Kingsley, Academy Award nominee Michelle Williams, Academy Award nominee Jackie Earle Haley, Academy Award nominee Patricia Clarkson, Mark Ruffalo, and Emily Mortimer make up this fantastic cast to what I can currently say is my favorite movie of 2010. DiCaprio delivers another phenomenal performance that I'm sure will be recognized at next year's Oscar's.
Unless you don't watch tv, then you saw the trailer's hyping the "twist" ending. Now normally when a movie starts using that in their trailer that's usually a warning that either: a) the movie is going to suck, b) the "twist" ending will be another typical ending that was over-hyped to bring in money or c) the ending will make absolutely no sense and viewers are going to shit all over the ending. Thank God, this movie proved me wrong. Usually I can tell where a movie is going, and can see the ending coming a mile away. Not this time.
I loved the twist of this movie. This will definitely be one of those movies that after you finish watching it, you want to go back and re-watch it to see if you can spot the clues leading up to the twist. Now, I saw this in theaters, so watching this on blu-ray I had my eyes paying close attention to see the hints. And wow, the hints are so subtle and almost obvious, that it's incredible you don't pick up on it. This movie is along the lines of "The Sixth Sense" and "The Uninvited" except that, NO the ending doesn't involve someone being dead the whole time. No spoilers from me here!
The direction of the cinematography was outstanding, and Scorsese really did a fantastic job of drawing you into the film and presenting a realistic attempt of taking you to 1954. But where this movie really delivers is the ending. Once the movie is over you will immediately find yourself engaged in a conversation with your friends/family about what you think happened or didn't happen.
While The Departed and The Aviator were fantastic films, they were both fairly long movies, with a running time of about two and a half hours or longer. And both films had some parts that dragged the movie on. Luckily, Shutter Island is just over two hours and ten minutes long and there is never a moment that drags on. The film does a great job at quickly introducing the characters and doesn't waste any time to get the story going. The flashbacks play a huge part, so make sure you are always paying attention.
I don't think this is Scorsese's best work, but I would definitely put this in a top five for his films. Easily one of the best films of 2010, and a movie that will keep you on the edge of your seat while trying to figure out what's going on. See this movie!
Presentation:
The transfer that is found on this blu-ray looks absolutely incredible! Everything shows an amazing amount of detail ranging from the caves and ocean, all the way down to the fabrics on the clothing. The special effects blend in well, the colors stand out, black levels are deep, and skintones are lifelike. The detail that can be seen on the facial closeups will definitely have you saying "wow!" Again, keep in mind I saw this film in the theaters, and there were still so many times I found myself saying "wow!" This movie looks that good! The film also really succeeds into creating a look to resemble that of the 1950's. I realize don't have anything to say bad about the transfer. If I did have to nitpick, it would be the fact that for a movie supposedly based in the 1950's it shouldn't look "this" perfect. This disc is worthy of being a reference disc to show off blu-ray.
Audio:
Just like the image, the audio is phenomenal! The disc features a 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio track that will provide you with one of the best listening experiences on blu-ray. The dialogue is always clear. The sound of the rainfall sounds lifelike enough that you probably will occasionally glance over to your windows to see if it was actually raining, and the sound of all the rats is strong enough to give you goosebumps. The score is very fitting for a movie that's suppose to take place in the 1950's and blends perfectly into the movie. Yet again, Paramount delivers a phenoemal blu-ray.
Bonus Material: 
I was hoping there would've been an audio commentary from Scorsese, but unfortunately not.
- Behind the Shutters (1080p, Runtime 17:10) - Typical interviews with the cast and crew, and also the author of the novel Dennis Lehane.
- Into the Lighthouse (1080p, Runtime 21:11) - Offers a look at how the film was constructed, the set design, psychiatric care in the 1950's, and more.
Bottom Line:
DiCaprio and Scorsese hit another one out of the park with Shutter Island! An excellent movie that will keep you guessing to the end. It looks phenomenal and sounds amazing! It is lacking on the special features, but since there are alot of people that don't really care about the special features anyways, I guess that's not too important. I highly recommend buying this movie!
