What is Shutter Island about? Shutter Island Cast, Movie Review, Soundtrack and Spoiler

Shutter Island hit the cinemas back in February 2010, and has now been released on DVD. It is best described as a psychological thriller, although the trailers would have you believe there is a healthy dose of horror as well. The film is the latest creation of director-actor team Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio. What is Shutter Island about? DiCaprio plays Edward "Teddy" Daniels, a U.S. Marshal investigating the disappearance of a patient from a psychiatric facility on Shutter Island.

Mark Ruffalo features in the Shutter Island movie as Teddy’s partner Chuck Aule and Ben Kingsley plays Dr. John Cawley, the head psychiatrist of Ashecliff Hospital for the criminally insane on Shutter Island. The movie is based on the 2003 novel ‘Shutter Island’ by Dennis Lehane, who has also had his novels ‘Mystic River’ and ‘Gone, Baby, Gone’ made into films.

The Shutter Island movie reviews have been generally positive and actually gave Scorsese and DiCaprio the biggest best box office opening of their careers so far. Even with a stable of successful and ground breaking films, Shutter Island represents the highest gross of any Scorsese film. However, there is also an undercurrent of critics displeased with Shutter Island, and some accusation that this film has been given a ‘Scorsese Pass’, which implies if anyone else had made the film it would haven been critically panned. Such critics need to remember that Scorsese has undertaken a psychological thriller here, a whodunit film whose very genre lacks the gravitas of other films Scorsese has undertaken in the past. Audiences should sit back and enjoy the fact that a filmmaker like Scorsese has attempted to make a film in such a genre.

It’s one of the best made psychological thrillers you’ll see for a while, and well worth a watch. However, having seen the Shutter Island movie, one suspects it may even be better the second time round.

Four out of Five Stars

Shutter Island [Blu-ray] and Shutter Island DVD was released on June 8, 2010. The Blu-Ray edition special features include two featurettes, Behind the Shutters HD and Into the Lighthouse HD.

Leonardo DiCaprio as Teddy Daniels
Mark Ruffalo as Chuck Aule
Ben Kingsley as Dr. John Cawley
Michelle Williams as Dolores Chanal
Emily Mortimer as Rachel Solando
Max von Sydow as Dr. Jeremiah Naehring
Jackie Earle Haley as George Noyce
Ted Levine as Warden
John Carroll Lynch as Deputy Warden McPherson
Elias Koteas as Andrew Laeddis

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The Shutter Island movie did not have an original score. Martin Scorsese in collaboration with Robbie Robertson used previously recorded material, particularly modern classical music. A 2 CD soundtrack, Shutter Island (Music From The Motion Picture) was released.

Shutter Island Soundtrack Disc 1

1. "Fog Tropes" (Ingram Marshall) – Orchestra of St. Lukes, conducted by John Adams
2. "Symphony No. 3: Passacaglia – Allegro Moderato" (Krzysztof Penderecki) – National Polish Radio Symphony, conducted by Antoni Wit
3. "Music For Marcel Duchamp" (John Cage) – Philipp Vandré
4. "Hommage à John Cage" – Nam June Paik
5. "Lontano" (György Ligeti) – Wiener Philharmoniker, conducted by Claudio Abbado
6. "Rothko Chapel 2" (Morton Feldman) – UC Berkeley Chamber Chorus
7. "Cry" – Johnnie Ray
8. "On The Nature Of Daylight" – Max Richter
9. "Uaxuctum: The Legend Of The Mayan City Which They Themselves Destroyed For Religious Reasons – 3rd Movement" (Giacinto Scelsi) – Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra
10. "Quartet for Strings and Piano in A minor" (Gustav Mahler) – Prazak Quartet

Shutter Island Soundtrack Disc 2

1. "Christian Zeal And Activity" (John Adams) – The San Francisco Symphony, conducted by Edo de Waart
2. "Suite For Symphonic Strings: Nocturne" (Lou Harrison) – The New Professionals Orchestra, conducted by Rebecca Miller
3. "Lizard Point" – Brian Eno
4. "Four Hymns: II For Cello And Double Bass" (Alfred Schnittke) – Torleif Thedéen & Entcho Radoukanov
5. "Root Of An Unfocus" (John Cage) – Boris Berman
6. "Prelude – The Bay" – Ingram Marshall
7. "Wheel Of Fortune" – Kay Starr
8. "Tomorrow Night" – Lonnie Johnson
9. "This Bitter Earth"/"On The Nature Of Daylight" – Dinah Washington/Max Richter

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I am based in New Zealand and enjoy writing about rugby, movies and music and am also interested in property investment and travel. I operate a rugby blog and a site dedicated to Tarantino movies and merchandise and contribute to a Property Investment Tips site.