Shutter Island

"Shutter Island" stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo, Max Von Sydow, Ben Kingsley and Michelle Williams. Directed by Martin Scorcese, the film is complicated and much too wordy and, indeed, the value to the film occurs well after you leave the theater and piece together the parts of the film that, at the initial viewing, looked so unrelated and discombobulated
A better written and/or directed script might have avoided the discomfort I felt through so much of the movie because, primarily, there was just too much verbage. I must also confess that any mature character Leonardo DiCaprio plays almost always creates a credibility problem for me. Watching him don and wear his fedora consistently reminds me of a little boy trying on his father's hat. As good an actor as he is, and he really is, Leonardo's character never seems to have legitimacy and watching an actor who you know is acting is a difficult obstacle to overcome in any film ……..and especially this one.
Editing and directing could have been improved too. The screenplay was written by Laeta Kalogridis based on a novel by Dennis Lehane. Obviously, director Scorcese and writer Kogridis encountered many difficulties in bringing one form of media to another for the film is a maze of complexities that appear to become clarified only in its last 30 seconds. I rate this film 2 and 1/2 stars knowing that a tighter script and more skillful directing might have earned it a higher grade. Unfortunately, the film, in its present form, did not pass the "no yawning" test.