The Citizen Review " A man goes to the movies. A critic must be honest enough to admit that he is that man." -Robert Warshow

Average Grade: A-

Jack says: A-

Going in to see Shutter Island, I expected many things from viewing the trailers. I expected a film noir-esque mystery. I expected an eerie thriller. Well for the first hour and a half, that's what I got and it was great.

The film begins with U.S. Marshalls entering Shutter Island, a remote island with an institution for the "criminally insane" as Teddy Daniels (Leonardo DiCaprio) puts it. From the get-go, things seem a little fishy to Daniels on Shutter Island and he can't figure out what happened to Rachel Solando, the supposed missing "patient". Of course, Teddy has a haunting past. Throughout the film he has remembrances of World War II, being a soldier in Nazi death camps. He also has visions, or dreams of his deceased wife Dolores, who died in a fire.

The film isn't just creepy, it oozes creepiness and emits fear. There is a dark, dark shadow cast on all of the island that makes the viewer question the morals of everything that occurs on it, even of the main protagonists. Martin Scorsese has done something very impressive with Shutter Island, he made it as if he had resurrected Alfred Hitchcock from the grave and had him direct it with him. It's that good.

The performances are also great. Leo, Mark Ruffalo, Ben Kingsley, Emily Mortimer, Patricia Clarkson and Michelle Williams all give Oscar-caliber performances. The film is also graced with great dialogue and many scenes are just Teddy and one other person talking. There is also a twist. Of course, a twist is expected from a movie like Shutter Island but this twist was beyond twisty. It doesn't just affect the main characters, it throws the whole movie you've been watching out of the water. I won't give it away but it's as if Scorsese has given us two films, something not quite pleasing but masterful.

There are great scenes in Shutter Island, some that are hard to watch. It will have you second-guessing the villains, the heroes, even yourself.

Matthew says: A-

The mysterious and eerie Shutter Island opens with a large boat slowly coming out of the fog, closer to the dark island. It's a classic, noir opening, much like the rest of the film. Shutter Island is shot with long winding shots, dark lighting and labyrinthine sets. The film draws you in with every shot.

Teddy Daniels is an FBI cop and comes to Shutter Island with his new assistant to investigate the missing case of a child murderer, played creepily by Emily Mortimer. No one knows how she escaped, it's nearly impossible to. But there's another reason why Teddy is here. Teddy has a dark past, much like most of the noir heroines.

Throughout the movie, you feel like there's something everyone knows but you. Teddy feels the same way. He continually drifts off into dark, eerie dreams, shot beautifully, but with the beautiful camera work, results in horrifying images.

Some critics complain, saying the ending wasn't worth the rest of the movie. But the rest of the movie is the mad brilliance of the final sentence. Shutter Island is a beautiful, horrifying, mysterious noir film that shouldn't be missed.