For a gal who could only bare  8 minutes of “Paranormal Activity” before turning the film off and then spending the entire night hiding under the covers, checking behind curtains and whispering  “what was that noise?” incessantly to my slumbering husband, I felt pretty brave going to see “Shutter Island.”  After all, I had seen the previews and knew that I was in for an evening of great film noir, replete with a gothic mental asylum, shadowy suspicious characters and dark atmospheric music.  I was pretty sure if I managed to stick it out to the end (a big “if” in my case) I was going to be (a) scared witless, (b) unable to sleep and (c) haunted by this film for days.   And still I went – and was unfortunately wrong on all counts.  Scorsese or no Scorsese, this movie is just plain silly!

Sure, the central premise of the movie is interesting enough.  U.S. Marshal Teddy Daniels (Leonardo DiCaprio) is sent to the infamous Shutter Island’s hospital for the criminally insane to investigate the inexplicable disappearance of a female inmate.  While there, he starts to uncover a sinister web of cover ups relating to the treatment of patients and their mental illness which leads him on a desperate hunt for the truth and the preservation of his own sanity.  Interwoven into that story are glimpses of Daniel’s own inner demons – including trauma from witnessing the horrors of concentration camps as a military soldier in the holocaust and the personal tragedy of having lost his won wife to a fire.  There were plenty of weighty themes to chew on for sure.  And yet, while the story held my attention, I was far from being on the edge of my seat. 

Perhaps it was because I had managed to figure out the so-called “plot-twist” within the first five minutes of the film (she brags) and then promptly announced it to my long-suffering husband.  Of course, once the proverbial cat was out of the bag, the rest of the film was pretty much ruined.  Neither of us could buy into the story-line. The whole film just felt flat and predictable - an unfortunate quality when you still have two hours and twenty minutes to sit through!

And yet, take heart.  I won’t spoil the film for you in case you do decide to go.  Also, the film does have redeeming qualities (especially if you don’t ruin it for yourself by trying to be too clever).  The cast is top flight – with Leonardo DiCaprio putting in yet another convincing performance that is definitely worth the price of admission.  The other big names in the film (and there are a surprising number) including Michelle Williams, Ben Kingsley, Mark Ruffalo all do a valiant job to carrying this film along too.   The film is good enough for a low key date night – especially if you combine it with a “shutter island long ice tea” (which we did at the Sundance Kabuki theater!).    And for those of you who are essentially fraidy cats like me, this is one movie you can add to your bravery bragging list and still get a good night’s sleep!