IMDB Review #247: Shutter Island

There are some films which are difficult to discuss without giving away a spoiler, and Shutter Island is one such film. It is one of those films that the less you know about it, the better the first experience; therefore if you have not seen the film, please stop reading now.

Set in the 1950’s, US Marshall Teddy Daniels (Leonardo Di Caprio) and his partner Chuck (Mark Ruffalo) are called to investigate the disappearance of a young woman at a mental asylum on the mysterious Shutter Island. Upon investigation, it soon becomes clear that things are not as they should be on the island and Teddy begins to suspect that the mental asylum, headed by Dr Crawley (Sir Ben Kingsley), is actually being used for some mysterious government tests.

Shutter Island is by all means a good film. The story is excellent (as one would expect from a Dennis Lehane adaptation), it contains some excellent performances, most notably by Di Caprio who is outstanding in the title role, and the production design is so lovingly rendered that the film really brings to life its 1950s setting.

Out of all of Scorsese’s films, Shutter Island is perhaps most close in style to Cape Fear. It is a psychological horror which harks back to the classic suspense of films of the great Alfred Hitchcock, whose work clearly has a large influence on the film. The score in particular recalls the work of the great Bernhard Herrman, a long-time collaborator of Hitchcock and one of the highest regarded film composers of all time.

The film does have its flaws; my main issue being that it is over long and suffers from slow pacing in places. However, overall this was a film which I really enjoyed the first time I watched it, and, unusually for a ‘film with a twist’, it retained its appeal on a second viewing (unlike The Sixth Sense for example). 

Not a classic by any means, and certainly not Scorsese’s best, but overall Shutter Island had enough period authenticity and atmosphere to keep me entertained. 

And that much debated final line? – well, let’s just say it stayed with me for days. Definitely worth a watch.

Rating 8/10

Absent Friends #2 – Gomorrah

From a quick glance down the IMDB Top 250 list, it is apparent that ‘gangster’ or ‘crime’ films are heavily represented on the list. From The Godfather Parts one and two, to Goodfellas, City of God and even Pulp Fiction, it is clear that the gangster genre has had a profound impact on the history of film. However, when looking closely at these films, the vast majority of them are over-stylized, glamorous portraits of the gangster lifestyle and it is hard to accept that these accurately portray the reality of a life of crime.

Now I am not for a second suggesting that such films are overrated or not worthy of a place in the Top 250. Many of the films I mention above would feature highly in my personal Top 250 films as they have all of the elements of fantastic filmmaking; great acting, scripting, production design, cinematography etc. What is missing from this collection of films, however, is a sense of gritty realism and that is a deficiency which Gomorrah superbly films.

Based on the bestselling book by Robert Saviano, Gomorrah is a series of inter-woven stories about various aspects of the Camorra crime syndicate, also known as the Neapolitan Mafia. Each of the different strands of the film highlights a different aspect of organized crime in Italy; the highly profitable trade of illegal waste management, the counterfeit goods market, the savage impact of crime on local youths and the brutality dished out in local turf wars. 

Heavily influenced by the neorealism movement in post World War II Italy, the film rejects any urges to glamorise organised crime and instead focuses on portraying the harsh realities of the criminal underworld. The film invokes such realistic visuals that the whole cinematic experience of the film is entirely realistic and engrossing from start to finish. The film also features some fine performances from a largely Italian cast, most notably from Toni Servillo who won a European film award for his portrayal of an illegal waste management consultant.

In my opinion, this is a seminal film about crime which provides a fascinating juxtaposition to other, more glamourized, crime films such as Goodfellas and the Godfather. I would urge anyone who has not seen this film to go out and find a copy – you won’t regret it. 

Just don’t expect Goodfellas 2…

Rating 10/10

IMDB Review #248: Rain Man

It has been a rather busy week for me and unfortunately this has result in the neglect of my blog. However, now that the weekend is near, I am back in business and will be continuing with my Top 250 challenge. On that note, let us move on to number 248 on the list: Rain Man.

In Rain Man, Tom Cruise plays Charlie Babbit, a self-obsessed car dealer who would do anything to make a quick buck. When Charlie’s father dies, Charlie is outraged to find out that an unnamed beneficiary is to inherit his father’s $3m fortune. When Charlie finds out that the unnamed beneficiary is an autistic older brother, Raymond (Dustin Hoffman), who never knew, he sets out to obtain guardianship of Raymond in order to obtain the cash.

The performances in the film are fantastic, with Hoffman in particular standing out, and fully deserving of his Oscar, for his portrayal of the autistic Raymond. Hoffman plays the character with subtlety when it would have been very easy to overstate the impact of autism on the character of Raymond and this results in a completely believable performance which engrossed me from start to finish.

Tom Cruise is also in good form as Raymond’s brother Charlie, albeit the character arc he is given is a very familiar story of redemption – changing from a selfish egotist into a loving brother during the course of the film. Whilst he is overshadowed by Hoffman, Cruise still manages to hold his own and plays the self-centred Charlie superbly.

Aside from the performances, Rain Man is a pretty bog standard road movie which lacks any real originality. In one sequence, we find Charlie exploiting Raymond’s numerical abilities to count cards in a Las Vegas casino, thereby winning a small fortune. This riffs off the common perception that people with autism have savant skills when perhaps a more original take on the issues of autism would have been more rewarding (albeit it is probable that Rain Man helped to create that perception in the first place).

Having said that, Rain Man does have some genuinely funny moments and some moments of real emotion – the scene in which Raymond imitates sex noises made by Charlie and his girlfriend (Valeria Golino) is particularly amusing. However, despite the odd moment of humour and emotion, I cannot say that I loved this film and it is certainly not one which would make it into my Top 250 films of all time. 

Overall, the performances of Cruise and Hoffman lift Rain Man above mediocrity, but there are many other elements of a good film (such a strong storyline) which are missing. Dustin Hoffman’s performance is definitely up there with the best and is a career defining role, but apart from that there really is not much else in this film to suggest that it should be considered a classic.

Rating 7/10

Absent Friends #1 - Mulholland Drive

Whilst the IMDB Top 250 contains some of the films which I rate amongst the best films of all time, there are several films which would be high up my list which don’t feature in the IMDB Top 250. I therefore feel I have the moral obligation to highlight those glaring omissions which definitely should be higher up the list – hence the title of this blog post ‘Absent Friends’. This is all based on my opinion and of course others may disagree with my choices.

So to the first glaring omission; the contemporary classic and masterpiece that is Mulholland Drive.  At the end of 2009, I recall sitting down and making a list of my top 100 films of the last decade and there were two films vying for the top spot of my list – Mulholland Drive and There Will be Blood (which thankfully is in the IMDB Top 250, albeit much too low).

For me, Mulholland Drive is a fine example of thoughtful cinema: it’s a mystery thriller that remains a mystery even after the end credits roll. It is only after you have watched and re-watched the film several times that you can truly start to understand the film. With each viewing another piece of the puzzle falls into place , although you never get the feeling, even after tens of viewings, that you have managed to fully understand every aspect of the film.

The performances are also superb, particularly that of Naomi Watts. The scene in which Betty (played by Naomi Watts) auditions for a film role is probably the best scene of Naomi Watts’ career and one of my favourite scenes of all time. It really is gripping stuff.

For me, this is a film which should easily be up there with those at the top of the IMDB Top 250. Perhaps it was a bit too obscure to achieve mass market appeal and maybe that has hindered its rating on IMDB (I believe the film is sitting just outside the Top 250 with a rating of 8.0), but for those like me who have embraced the initial madness of the film and spent the time and effort trying to unravel the mystery, what you get in return is an entirely rewarding film experience. Quite simply a masterpiece.

Rating 10/10