The responses to Martin Scorsese's outstanding new thriller Shutter Island have been decidedly mixed. Most of the negative comments seem to be aimed at the film's "twist" which many audiences complain is obvious in the first five minutes of the movie. Taking it a step further, even the coming attraction trailer reveals a bit more than it should. The thing is, none of this really matters because Shutter Island isn't a movie about the big reveal. Its about the journey. You may know where this film is headed, but you'll be hard pressed to figure out how its going to get there.

In Shutter Island (based on Dennis Lehane's novel), a mesmerizing Leonardo DiCaprio stars as U.S. Marshal Teddy Daniels. It's 1954. Daniels and his partner Chuck Aule (played by Mark Ruffalo) are aboard a ferry boat and headed to Ashecliffe, an isolated institution for the criminally insane located right outside of Boston. Their mission? To find the whereabouts of an escaped mental patient who mysteriously vanished without a trace. During their investigation, Daniels and Aule not only have run ins with the odd residents of the institution but they must verbally spar with the numerous doctors and guards on staff, and both groups seem reluctant to divulge key information in the case. As this puzzle of a movie progresses, so do the sinister happenings at Ashecliffe, and before long, Shutter Island turns into what could be best described as a top notch fusion of "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" and "The Shining" with a dash of "The Twilight Zone" thrown in for good measure. After all these years, it feels a bit cliche to call Martin Scorsese a masterful storyteller, but that's exactly what he is.

With Shutter Island, he's working in a genre he hasn't worked in since Cape Fear, and the end result is a classy kind of scare picture. Scorsese isn't interested in jolting the audience through cheap scare tactics and loud, headache inducing music cues. Scorsese is more interested in tone. Shutter Island drips with atmosphere, and it goes far beyond the dreary,stormy infested skies that surround Ashecliffe. Leonardo DiCaprio is sensational here. This is his best work since "What's Eating Gilbert Grape," and if you've seen the titles on this terrific actor's sterling resume, then you know that's high praise. Teddy Daniels is a compelling character to be sure, and DiCaprio brings empathy and a weathered appearance to this this most complex individual. While DiCaprio is certainly the star of this piece, Scorsese spreads the wealth. There's an onslaught of talent in Shutter Island (watch for outstanding supporting turns by Mark Ruffalo, Ben Kingsley, Patricia Clarkson, Jackie Earle Haley, Max Von Sydow, Emily Mortimer, Michelle Williams, Ted Levine, John Carroll Lynch, and Elias Koteas) and each time a different character appears on screen, Scorsese allows Shutter Island to be about that character at that given moment. Even Shutter Island itself is more of a character than a location and that's what led me to make The Shining comparison. As was the case with The Overlook Hotel in that picture, this island plays as a living, breathing entity. Shutter Island certainly requires patience. It doesn't move like a bullet train, but its an incredibly satisfying cinematic experience punctuated by a haunting, emotionally powerful finale I wont soon forget. This is a film that will undoubtedly resonate more with repeated viewings and I can't wait to see it again.

Grade: A-