Iffy for 16+
Twisty, disturbing Scorsese thriller too intense for most.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Shutter Island is a very intense thriller, with some highly disturbing imagery, including drowned children, Nazi concentration camps, piles of corpses, blood, guns, dark prison corridors, and bizarre, scary nightmares and hallucinations. It contains strong, but not pervasive, foul language, smoking, and suggestions of various medical/experimental drugs. The movie's surprises and twists, while somewhat transparent, might appeal to older teens, if they can stomach the strong stuff. Younger kids and teens are strongly warned away.
- Families can talk about the movie's violent nightmares, visions, and flashbacks. How did they affect you? Did they make you feel angry, edgy, or curious? Why do you think that was? Did you notice your behavior change after the movie?
- Talk about the methods of Dr. Cawley (Ben Kingsley),which include listening to and empathizing with his patients. How isthis better than treating dangerous patients with drugs and lockingthem up? Is it easier, or more difficult, to listen?
- According to the movie, the human brain has the capacity to block out memories of horrible or tragic events. What effect would thishave? Would it make life easier, or more difficult?
- The movie is set in 1954 and portrays a lot of era-accurate smoking? What has changed about how people think about smoking since the 1950s?
The good stuff
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Messages: The movie deals with the limits of the human mind and the sheer amount of horror and torment it can take before it snaps. It also examines the extent to which humans are capable of violence and evil. Some characters may or may not have good intentions, but the movie deliberately blurs this behavior in the service of the story. Some conversation about belief in God.
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Role models: The hero is not much of a role model. He has twin goals: One of them requires bravery and selflessness and the other, selfish revenge. But whether he achieves either of these goals is up for debate. He also exhibits violent and erratic behavior throughout and does not play well with others. (On the other hand, he does risk his life in one sequence to save his partner.) Other characters do not seem trustworthy or reliable either.
What to watch for
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Violence: Quite a few disturbing flashbacks and nightmare sequences, with piles of dead bodies in the Dachau concentration camp, a failed suicide attempt (the victim lays twitching in a puddle of blood), drowned children, a woman's body burning, shooting victims, and more blood. One scene shows the mass slaughter of Nazi guards by American soldiers; their bodies are riddled with bullets as they collapse, one by one, in a line. There are also scary images, such as prisoners grabbing through prison bars at the hero.
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Sex: No sex, but in a flashback sequence we see a little kissing between an affectionate married couple. Brief flash of unclothed male prisonors.
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Language: The words "f--k" is heard about a dozen times; "s--t" a few times. We also hear "dick," "prick," "cock," "screw that," "dammit," "Jesus Christ," and "Goddamn it."
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Consumerism: Not an issue
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Drinking, drugs and smoking: Characters smoke cigarettes often, and one character smokes a pipe. The main character once had a drinking problem, but now abstains from liquor. We see him drinking whisky in flashbacks. Other characters drink in a social way. The hospital uses various sedatives and other kinds of drugs on the patients. The hero takes aspirins and there is a suggestion that they might be laced with hallucinogens or other drugs. We see the effects of these drugs through the eyes of the hero.
Fan Reviews provided by
5
WAS TOTALLY WORTH THE WAIT FOR ME.... by lovestalentmoviefan
....and I spent money a couple more times,just to take in the magnificent acting and artful direction.Now as to the twist...(not a spoiler).Unfortunately,someone ruined it for me on this website,so I can't say I was surprised.However,Scorsese did allow too many "tells" right from the beginning off of the boat,so if you are fairly smart about psych thrillers,you will realize,at least in part, some of what is happening. REGARDLESS, it is a masterful transition from book to film (bought the book right after first look).Scorsese's direction showed clear through and it also had an embraceable Hitchcockesque feel.The acting-wow,not only Leo's,but the 3 female leads and Sir Kingsly (very sinister-yet caring) had me relating to each and every character. Ruffalo,,I am usually a fan,but here I think he was at halfmast.Mesmerizing visually and a great score. Make sure,after the story is out,you keep paying attention til the last shot. GO;MONEY WELL SPENT.
5
OMG,SO TIRED OF SEEING THIS...... by LTMF 2
....'I knew everything in the first 15 minutes'. Ok yeah,in my first review I acknowledged that somethings were kind of easy to catch on to. But please,there were quite a few "twists" as it were,and you did not get all of them right away. I guess I just want to say...whether we knew things sooner rather than later,or not,this was an awesome movie with incredible acting and directing. Unless you are not the psychological thriller type person,and some are not,just go in with appreciation for the hard work and talent involved in this movie. Another plus for me is it was real movie making without technology being the only talent. no sex or nudity except for nude man for half a second in a cell. Hope DeCaprio gets an award.
5
GREAT PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLER by keatsgirl
THIS IS AN ATTENTION KEEPING AND SUSPENSE BUILDING MOVIE. THE CLUES WERE TOO EASY TO SEE THOUGH. THIS WAS TALENT-RAW AND EMOTIONAL AND SPOT ON IN DEVELOPMENT AND AMBIENCE.LEO AND BEN WITHOUT FAIL ARE EXELLENT ACTORS.SO WHAT I WANT TO NOTE ARE WILLIAMSs(WIFE) AND MORTIMER (RACHEL IN THE ASYLUM)WHAT CHILLING AND PROVOCATIVE PERFORMANCES. SEE IT TWICE JUST TO SOAK IN THE PERFECT ACTING. WORTH MY MONEY AGAIN!
5
MOVIE IS BRILLIANT THRILLER:DON'T WAIT FOR DVD by birac
NOW,WHERE NORMALLY I WOULD WRITE MY REVIEW,I AM TAKING THIS SPACE TO TELL PEOPLE,ESPECIALLY FACEBOOK USER-----QUIT PUTTING PLOT SECRETS IN YOUR REVIEWS! PEOPLE CHECK THEM TO SEE IF THEY WOULD LIKE TO GO VIEW THE MOVIE. YOU RUIN IT FOR PEOPLE
4
A mystery for 2 FBI agents to solve with plenty of clues, twists & turns along the way. by critcallyme
There is plenty of mystery in this story as 2 FBI agents try to figure out how a patient at Shutter Island, a mental institution escaped from her locked cell with bars on the window. As they investigate no one is willing to talk. The story progresses and begins to appear as if there is a plot to keep them on the island. Through the smoke & mirrors of the investigation the ending becomes predictable before the end however with a small bonus.
If you like mysteries you will like this movie. If you like straight forward plots or if you are looking for a feel-good movie this is not it. It takes place in an old mental hospital with patients that appear to not have showered in years. Also, the weather is gloomy throughout & progresses to hurricane like conditions which helps set a dreary scene for our story to unfold in. Parents be aware it does include some disturbing images & brief nudity.
5
Shutter island one of the best movies of 2010 !!! by Mrmuveman
This movie was amazing.Anyone would enjoy this film.My mom usually sleeps during movies but this one was hard to fall asleep at. A SLEEK, SMART, JAW DROPPING, BLOODY ,SCARY,MAYHEM, FILLED WITH MYSTERYS THAT WILL LEAVE YOU WITH YOU'R JAW DROPPED AND WILL LEAVE YOU BREATHLESS!
5
Shutter Island Review by makuma
I am a psychiatric nurse and I found this movie to truly capture the inner torture of those who suffer from mental illness. This ensemble cast and the "edge of your seat" story line made me spellbound and sorry to see the movie end. Leonardo DiCaprio was amazing! The supporting cast truly captured the essence of people suffering from the most severe forms of paranoid schizophrenia and other sociopathic personality disorders. This is a must see movie!
4
Shuttles Island by jimjoel49
I am a fan of Martin Scorsese, Leonardo DiCaprio and Ben Kingsley. I was really hoping this movie would be something special but it is not. The movie kept my interest even though early on I knew the ending. The only twist was in the last few seconds of the movie. The movie is worth seeing for the acting and editing. The trailers are misleading because they suggest a horror / thriller film but what you get is a World War 2 /mystery film that rates a 7 out of 10 score.
2
Disappointed by blocstar
I was so disappointed in this movie! The positives were that the acting was fantastic, the way it was filmed, angles, scenery, era, all that was great! It could have been so good! But the story was... boring. Halfway through the movie the people in the theater were leaning back in their seats, yawning, instead of being at the edge of their seats with anticipation. It was slow, it lacked the excitement we think we see in the trailers, it wasn't spooky, and it's NOT a good thing when you can guess the twist at the end before it happens. The turn it took towards the end was disappointing, too. I knew it would happen, but I didn't want the movie to go in that direction. I'm glad I saw an advanced screening and didn't have to pay to see this. Sorry guys, I WANTED to like it!
1
You'll Need a LOBOTOMY after seeing this! by John"Q"public
Don't waste your money or time seeing this movie. Don't believe the MEDIA hype.. it was HORRIBLE!