Shutter Island Blu-ray/DVD (Paramount)

Shutter Island Blu-ray/DVD

Studio: Paramount

Jun 28, 2010 Web Exclusive By Iain Stasukevich

A lot of the backlash against Shutter Island isn't so much targeted at the direction, the performances, the cinematography or even the source material, it just had the bad luck of being Martin Scorsese's first narrative feature after winning the Oscar for directing The Departed (even though he should have won for Goodfellas).

It's unfortunate because Shutter Island is merely a good, but not great movie, although a bad film from Scorsese is like bad sex. Either way, you still get laid, so to speak. (If you're familiar at all with the director's filmography, it feels at home with his other highly stylized foray into genre, Cape Fear.)

All expectations aside, Shutter Island has a lot going for it, namely a solid cast of stars (Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo) and supporting actors (Max von Sydow and Jackie Earl Haley), and gorgeous cinematography by Bob Richardson. The film's noir aesthetic and creepy gulag-esque production design are effective enough that you'd still rather fall into a plot hole than a straitjacket in a place like that. The Dennis Lehane adaptation follows two U.S. marshals (DiCaprio, Ruffalo) as they investigate the disappearance of an inmate from a remote hospital for the criminally insane.

The Blu-ray features a spotless 1080p 2.35:1 transfer and a clean, crisp 5.1 audio track that avoids the annoying problem of downplaying dialogue on non-5.1 systems. As far as special features go, there are two documentaries: a making-of, Behind the Shutters, and In the Lighthouse, a featurette on the gruesome, real-life mental health practices portrayed in the film. (www.shutterisland.com)

Author rating: 8/10

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Average reader rating: 3/10