'Shutter Island' movie is based on 2003 novel

I watched “Shutter Island” for the first time the other day, and I have to say that this is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a long time.

Released on Feb. 19, 2010, “Shutter Island” is a crime thriller set in 1954 that centers on U.S. Marshall Edward “Teddy” Daniels. Daniels and his new partner are called to Shutter Island to investigate the mysterious disappearance of a woman from a psychiatric hospital for the criminally insane. Mix in a hurricane, and the story presents a steadily unraveling mystery that ends and then ends again with a surprise, twist ending.

Many of you will be familiar with this dark thriller. It was directed by Hollywood legend, Martin Scorsese, and starred a number of well known actors, including Leonardo DiCaprio (Teddy Daniels), Mark Ruffalo (Chuck Aule), Michelle Williams (Dolores Chanal), Ben Kingsley (Dr. John Cawley), Max von Sydow (Dr. Jeremiah Naehring), Ted Levine (The Warden), John Carroll Lynch (Deputy Warden McPherson) and Elias Koteas (Andrew Leaddis).

This movie was also a huge hit in theatres. Shot against a shooting budget of $80 million, this movie raked in gross revenues of $298.4. According to the Internet Movie Database, the movie’s $40.2 million opening weekend in the U.S. marked a career best for Scorsese. It went on to be the highest grossing film of his already outstanding career.

I really enjoyed this movie for a number of reasons. The movie had an entertaining, pulpish noir feeling to it that was really well done. Both U.S. marshals could have passed for gumshoe detectives straight off the pages of Mickey Spillane or Dashiell Hammett, and the film’s setting seemed to fit the story perfectly. The movie also had a heavy Alfred Hitchcock feeling to it that was pulled off really well.

Many movie reviewers agreed. For example, John Anderson wrote in The Wall Street Journal that the movie “requires multiple viewings to be fully realized as a work of art. Its process is more important than its story, its structure more important than the almost perfunctory plot twists it perpetrates. It's a thriller, a crime story and a tortured psychological parable about collective guilt.”

This movie reminded me of a couple of other movies. Not to give too much of the movie away for those folks who haven’t seen it, but “Shutter Island” reminded me heavily of “The Sixth Sense” and “A Beautiful Mind.” I’m sure that those of you who have seen “Shutter Island” will know where I’m coming from.

I was especially pleased to learn that “Shutter Island” is actually based on a best-selling novel by the same name by Dennis Lehane. The book was published by Harper Collins in 2003. Audio book and graphic novel versions of the book are also available.

In the end, I really enjoyed this movie. It gave me that “I want to go out and buy the DVD” feeling, and I’m sure that I’ll watch it again and again. I have no problem at all with giving this movie an A+.

How many of you have seen this movie? What did you think about it? Did you like it? Dislike it? Let us know in the comings section below.