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Martin Scorsese's Shutter Island is His Best Film Yet?!

by Alex Billington
September 24, 2008
Source: MTV

This isn't exactly news, per se, but I love hearing about early buzz like this. Plus, I think this movie deserves another mention since its been nearly a year since we last talked about it. Oscar winning director Martin Scorsese's next film is a thriller based off of a Dennis Lehane book titled Shutter Island. It's an immensely complex psychological thriller about two US Marshals and their investigation into the disappearance of a mental patient from a Massachusetts asylum who is supposedly hiding on Shutter Island. Mark Ruffalo, who stars in the film as one of the US Marshals (alongside of Leonardo DiCaprio), recently told MTV that "this could be one of his great films." Can Scorsese pull off another masterpiece?

Ruffalo explained that "it is Martin Scorsese's playground with this movie. He gets to do everything he loves about film. He does noir, fantasy sequences, dream sequences, madness, suspense, tough urban stuff. It's absolute madness and twist upon twist." I'm trying to limit myself on learning about what exactly takes place in the story so I can have a more fulfilling experience when I watch the movie for the first time, but it's supposed quite intense. Apparently "the film is about so much more than the basic plotline sketches at." As Ruffalo says, it's "so much bigger" than any basic description makes it seem. This kind of early buzz, even coming from an actor, is quite exciting, especially for a project from Scorsese.

After blowing everyone away with The Departed, I think I'm not the only one who is anxiously awaiting Scorsese's his next film. If you really can't wait to find out what happens before this hits theaters, you're more than welcome to pick up a copy of the book. Dennis Lehane's previous books that made it to the big screen include Clint Eastwood's Mystic River and Ben Affleck's Gone Baby Gone, two other phenomenal films. And if all this buzz says anything about what we can expect with this adaptation, I'm guessing it'll be one hell of a twisted flick. Unfortunately we've got to wait almost another year before we get to see it - Paramount has it slated for October 2nd, 2009. Here's to hoping that release date gets bumped up!

Explore tags: Hype, Opinions, Rumors

Lex

cant wait...
Blue Buttons

Loved the book. Eagerly awaiting the movie.
mattypap

The book was fantastic, really got me, cant wait to see what Scorsese produces from it.
Red Buttons

Didn't read the book. But if marty likes it, I will have to try it out.
Frame

After The Departed, I am also anxiously awaiting Scorsese's his next film.
http://www.myspace.com/kevjohnphotography kevjohn

Screw The Departed. I just saw Taxi Driver on blew-ray and it knocked my socks off, again! Scorsese has a free pass for life in my book!
safichan

martin blow us on The Departed??? i would rather say Internal Affair blew me...The Departed just "steal" an ideia from it...
http://www.aaronrosspowell.com Aaron Powell

It's impossible for me to get excited about this because the book was such a disappointment. I wanted to like it because Lehane is generally a great writer, but "Shutter Island" was simply a failure. I guessed the twist a few chapters in and throughout the remaining kept hoping he wouldn't do what I knew he would. Come on, I thought, you're better than such an obvious setup. But he plunged right into the cliche and didn't even execute it all that well. And the particular trouble is that the twist makes wholly irrelevant the somewhat intriguing mystery Lehane introduced as the book's premise. My fear is that this boring plotting will carry over unchanged to the movie and, ultimately, bring it down.
Darunia

I was disappointed with The Departed, as i think Infernal Affairs shits on it, shutter island however sounds like something coming out of Twin Peaks +-, so it's intriguing.
Dave Lister, J.M.C.

I read the book and it's very good. This should be an exceptional film. As a portion of it was shot in the town where I grew up, I am very much looking forward to seeing this.
http://www.youtube.com/snears Nick Sears

Awesome, he should have fun filming this one.
Kelly B.

While I love Martin Scorsese, and am anxiously awaiting this film, I found myself somewhat annoyed by the hyperbolic nature of this article, particularly the headline. Nowhere does Ruffalo say anything about this being Scorsese's best movie yet. He says its awesome, and I'm sure it will be, but Alex, sometimes you really get swept away in the "hype" these movies generate. When was the last time an actor starring in a film said that it WASN'T awesome? As an actor in the film, of course Ruffalo is going to say the film is amazing, thats not even news worthy, nor, in my opinion, does it even qualify as buzz. When a critic or a pre-screening viewer gushes over a film, that is worth reporting, but actors always say the movies they are in are cool. I really have no problem discussing the film, or even discussing Ruffalo's comments, but lets tone down the hyperbole, shall we?
meNotYou

Keyll B., this is the way that Alex writes EVERY piece about any film that he's even mildly interested in. The writing on this site is frustrating, to say the least. I keep coming back, because it appears to be the only film-geek site with RSS feeds that work correctly. AICN doesn't do RSS feeds (I'm not sure about some of the others). There are more problems with the writing here than just the hyperbole, but that's what stands out the most. Here are a couple of recent examples: "I was already looking forward to seeing Rogen's take on the Green Hornet, but now I'm sure this is going to be something truly great," are ridiculous. We can't even be sure that a director as great as Scorsese will always make a great film, so how in the world do you know that a movie with a script from Seth Rogen and directed by Chow will somehow become "truly great". Or this one about Peter Billingsley's film: "And considering Billingsley, who is also very good friends with Vaughn, is set to direct, this is probably going to be as classic of a comedy as we're all hoping." What??? How in the world can we deduce that a comedy from a first-time director, which is yet to be shot, is going to be a comedy classic??? It's just really strange to write articles this way all of the time. Alex, you really need to hire a writer or two, with actual news writing experience, if possible. Just put a call out for writers and offer to pay them per article, or something like that. I like your site, but it's sometimes very hard to wade through the writing style.
meNotYou

I should add that I like the fact that Alex obviously loves film and seems to be a true film geek. That's why I keep using this site. It's not all bad. The tone of the last posts I made sounded like I hate the site.
drew

I agree with #8, I too love Lehane, but guessed the "twist" right away and became very disappointed with the book. Well written but too predictable in the end to be exceptional. The source material/plot just isn't enough to make this a winner in my eyes.
meNotYou

The writing in the book is exceptional. The characters are fantastically fleshed-out, and it is an entertaining read. But, the twist at the end is something very similar to a few other films from recent years, which makes me think that this film may hit like a bit of a dud, no matter how skillfully it is acted and directed. I'll still watch it, because I can't wait to see what Scorsese conjures up for these characters. But I'm thinking that this is one of those rare cases where it may be best to know the twist up front, so that you are not disappointed by it in the end. If you already know what it is, you can just enjoy everything leading up to that and not come away as disappointed.
Matt Suhu

Scorsese is a fucking hack! "After blowing everyone away with The Departed"??? Please, he didn't succeed in blowing away true movie critics who actually watched the HK original, Infernal Affairs. He owes that oscar to the director and writers of the HK version. Scorsese had no originality to The Departed except for the fact that his film was slower and boring.
meNotYou

Scorsese is a hack? LOL. Yes, you are correct, sir. And so is Fellini, and Kubrick, and John Ford, and Hitchcock, and Wilder, and Godard, and Kurosawa. THANK GOD those hacks made films wha they are today. I love it how a handful of 22yr old geeks who really don't understand film at all like to point to Infernal Affairs as somehow better-directed than The Departed. That's is laughable, at best. You're just trying to sound film-smart by spouting off about it when anyone who has ever watched the two movies and has any semblance of taste, knows that Scorsese's film was the best-directed of the two. The original is still great and, after all, that's where the fantastic story-line came from, but the script, direction, acting, well almost everything, was a good bit better. Just because it came first, doesn't mean it's better.
meNotYou

Oh, and "slower and boring"? Oh MY GOD. It's called pacing, Matt Suhu, pacing.
D-9

This looks amazing. Marty has made a few films I did not care for, but the guy has such a vision. One of the true greats of all time. Good job meNotYou. Well said. And Mr. Sears...spot on! Marty does have fun. I mean he had a blast with the Stones deal. Didn't really like it, but it was fun for him. And it is half the battle.
Matt Suhu

@meNotYou *sigh* i admit that HK films can be a bit disorienting when compared to American films because of the different cultures. with me being Chinese, i can understand the direction, acting, and almost everything else as you put it...unlike you. i am biased for obvious reasons, but regardless Scorsese did not introduce anything new to the story accept for useless boredom. Yes, all three main actors did a tremendous job, but such credit is not owed to Scorsese at all, nor the story. if however so, then what did Scorsese do or add? and 22? why are you being so immature?
John

I have rarely been disappointed by any film by Scorsese. The guy is a master story teller/director. I look forward to this movie.
meNotYou

No offense, but you said that one of the 10 best directors of all time is "a hack". It's pretty hard to hear anything else coming out of your mouth after that point. And it's not that I didn't *understand* the direction in the first. I in fact enjoyed the movie immensely. But I also enjoyed Scorcese's version, and especially the slower pacing in some parts. A great director knows how to let a scene breathe, savoring a character's development. Your main problem seems to be that Scorcese "stole" the storyline?? What a stupid assertion. He was doing a remake. Should the remake of Infernal Affairs be about something other than the original story of Infernal Affairs? BTW, the reason I said 22 is because I can't imagine anyone over the MTV demographic age actually thinking that Scorcese is a hack.
Matt Suhu

Simply, the remake should have given credit to its HK counterparts instead of glorifying itself as being original and fresh. 10 best? How old are you? 60?
meNotYou

Name 10 directors with a better filmography than Scorcese. Go ahead. I dare you. I'm 33 years old. If you liked the HK version better, that's fine. I have no problem with that. But it's hard to take anything you say seriously after you called Scorcese a hack. Do you have any idea how highly regarded that man is among filmmakers? Film aficionados? Film historians? Film critics? I guarantee you that if you ask any of your Hong Kong directors who they think are the greatest directors, almost every one of them would have him near the top of their list.
meNotYou

Who glorified it as original and how exactly could they have given credit to the original anymore than they already did? Everyone knows it was a remake. They only make remakes of GOOD movies. So by remaking it, they were already giving it some love. The best form of flattery in art is imitation. They never acted like the first movie didn't exist, and they never said that they were better than the original. Some of us movie fans might think so, but the filmmakers never said that. I think you are acting too defensive and personal about it, because it's from Hong Kong.
avoidz

He's yet to top Goodfellas. The Departed for me, however, goes in the same not-so-great Scorsese basket as Cape Fear.
http://killsmedead.com Liz

Scorsese himself has always gone out of his way to let people know that The Departed is a remake (even thanking the original film makers in his Oscar speech), so I'm not sure why people continue to get bent out of shape about this. Everyone knows it's a remake and no one is holding it up as an example of amazing originality. There's a reason it won best /adapted/ screenplay, after all.
Tim "Cloverfield"

Woah Sulu! Your being insensative! You gotta admit, he has you there. Good job Liz! tHIS WAS INFORMATIVE BANTER!
Matt Suhu

@Tim "Cloverfield" How am I being insensitive? Am I not allowed to hold my own opinion and call someone a hack if I so choose to? If you're remark was geared towards my comments to meNotYou, I only attempted to insult him twice with my "immature" and "how old are you" comments. @meNotYou I agree that creating a remake is quite the compliment. I remember watching the oscars and I believed that Scorsese did not say anything about the HK remake, but I just looked up his speech and he did thank Andy Lau for the "wonderful Asian cinema." So fine...Scorsese is not a hack. But Infernal Affairs is still a much more entertaining film...lol!
Matt Suhu

@meNotYou lol...I just reread all the comments in this thread, and it seems like you like to argue with others quite a bit. Why did you get so upset when I called Scorsese a fucking hack? I have every right to not like him even if you see otherwise. "No offense, but you said that one of the 10 best directors of all time is "a hack". It's pretty hard to hear anything else coming out of your mouth after that point." If I think someone is a hack, then that's my opinion and I'm entitled to such. Who are you to go around and yell at Alex, myself, or any others who hold differing opinions from yourself? If you think Scorsese is one of the ten best directors ever, then kudos to you. I know I questioned you about your top 10, but that was simply in retaliation of how you first presented Scorsese as a top 10 director. I never once asserted that he should be or should not be in such a category. Yes, I called Scorsese a hack, but how is the top 10 list relevant to me arguing that Scorsese never gave credit to the HK filmmakers? I consistently called Scorsese a hack within the context of Infernal Affairs and The Departed, and not in his past work. I do not care what films he made prior to The Departed, for they are irrelevant to how he handled The Departed as a film. In doing so, I recant my previous comment that Scorsese is not a hack. Let it stand that I still believe he is a hack within the context of Infernal Affairs and The Departed, and nothing else. And although you're 33, please be a bit respectful in your comments. If it's so difficult for you to hear anything else that comes out of my mouth, then stop reading. Remember that you're the one who started this argument. All I did was insult Scorsese for what I saw was justified. You may argue against such, but do not insult people for voicing their opinion. It's one thing to get argumentative, but it's another to do so with immaturity. Focus on what's at hand and not who is saying it.
Matt Suhu

Simply put, when someone says "no offense"...it's meant to be offensive.
Tim Clifford

lol...matt suhu's right, meNotYou has been a complete fucking asshole on this entire thread. I love The Departed and Scorsese sincerely, but you gotta calm yourself.
Sam Potter

This article may have more hyperbole than any I've read in a long time. Here's the scoop... I love Scorsese's films. There really hasn't bee one that I've not enjoyed, although "Gangs of New York" left me a little underwhelmed. I've just read "Shutter Island". I like Lehane's books and other stories. But "Shutter" is really not all it's cracked up to be. It's by no means immensely complex. In fact, you pretty much know the twist halfway through the book. I was surprised at how unoriginal the outcome ended up being, especially with all of the "big twist ending" psychological thrillers that have saturated the film market since "The Sixth Sense" became a hit. For those who haven't seen "Memento" or "The Machinist", "Shutter Island" will be a lot of fun. For those of us who have, you'll be shaking your head as to how little originality Lehane put into his story's plot.
shirley king

I've seen Internal Affairs and The Departed. Aside from Tony Leung's charismatic performance, I can't say Internal Affairs is that great, but it's a relatively effective flick in it's genre. Scorsese took the film's premise and made something much more out of it. DiCaprio's performance, btw, is different from Leung's but just as good. Really liked the movie more than I thought I would and I think the script is genius. I don't know what he'll do with Shutter Island but I thought the book was a good read, even the twist at the end didn't bother me. I think he'll take the book and do something a lot more interesting.
unbuttoned 10

---Overblown, over-wrought, seen-it-already, borderline camp. Still enthralled with Hollywood for its own sake ---Scorsese has YET to leave the neighborhood.
tiger tim

---Over-produced, over wrought, second rate Stephen King. -case closed-
Radwan

One of the best movies ever !!! keeps u glued to ur seat with gr8 suspense and i just love movies involving a lot of thinking and excellent script and just amazing acting job and directing
Chris

Leonardo diCaprio is a joke.