What in the f**k?!? Ok. Leonardo DiCaprio plays his character so well. Not just a pretty face. He plays the character of Teddy Daniels who is a U.S. Marshal, along with Mark Ruffalo who plays Chuck Aule as his marshal partner. The whole point of the movie is the marshals going to a hospital for the criminally insane, to investigate the escape of a murderer (Rachel), who’s presumed to be hiding on the island (Shutter Island).
There’s this like “dun dun dun” music that plays during the beginning and throughout the film that’s pretty creepy. When Leo conducts his first interrogation the staff has shifty eyes when they answer some of the questions. Leo looks in Rachels room where she was last seen and finds a note that reads: The law of 4 is 67.
[It’s clear that everyone’s hiding something… BUT WHAT?]
SPOLER ALERT: the primary doctor who was supervising the group therapy session before the patient escape is conveniently on vacation when the marshals have come to investigate.
The men who run the hospital refuse to hand over any docs to the marshals to help them investigate… it’s totally sketchy and makes Leo so mad he claims he’s packing it in and leaving in the morning because he’s convinced he hasn’t heard the truth since he got there.
[side note: there’s like these weird scenes where Leo has flashbacks of his wife dying and paper or leaves are falling everywhere… inside?]
SO Leo and Mark don’t end up leaving and continue to interview patients and staff.
SPOILER ALERT: Leo interviews a patient named Mrs. Kerns… he asked if she had ever met a patient named Andrew Latus, and her troubling response to decline meeting him paired with tears matched EVERY OTHER PATIENTS RESPONSE they were coached.
[side bar: Andrew Latus was the maintenance man at the apartment where Leo and his deceased wife used to live. Andrew lit the match that caused the fire that killed his wife, and ended up being at this mental hospital… HE TOO disappeared on shutter island]
Later Leo concludes there are 66 patients at the institution and says ”Doc, the note Rachel wrote implies there are 67 patients.. who’s the 67th patient?”
SPOILER ALERT: right after this convo, the doctors says “didn’t you hear the good news, Rachels here, she’s been found”
Leo goes to meet with Rachel and there’s not a mark on her…
The film then takes a DARK turn… Leo and Mark and playing some terrifying game of tag with some of the wildest patients. The patients are running awkwardly in bare feet, it’s raining and the whole thing is so uncomfortable to watch.
Without spoiling the underlying plot of this film… I’ll give you hints. Leo is left alone a lot, he is all in his head bouncing around between different times in his life OH and he’s suddenly wearing A LOT of white clothing.
Overall, this film is an A+ if you’re looking for a suspenseful movie that has unanticipated events.
Spoiler Alert 