Finally saw Shutter Island the other day.

What a terrific film–interesting story, great performances, beautiful cinematography. And if you didn’t know who directed it, you’d at least know that he or she loved film. Some directors just point the camera at the actors, (and, don’t get me wrong, sometimes that’s the best choice for the story being told), but I love watching films that use all of the tools of the medium–color, editing, framing, light and shadow, and more–to serve the story. Of course, Martin Scorsese directed it–one of the best of the best, as directors go. And this may be my favorite film of all his work.

And ultimately, its a fun film to watch that’s actually about something. Pretty rare.

[Spoiler Alert]
About the ending: I like movies that end well. I don’t want just resolution, I want redemption. I want to know that my investment in the characters was worth something. I want to see them succeed, grow, improve. That being the case, I often enjoy watching thrillers and horror films, but they rarely end in a way that leaves me satisfied. More times than I’d like, I’ll find that I enjoyed the ride, but hated the destination. And I’m fine with that. I don’t watch thrillers to feel good. If I want to be uplifted by a film, I’ll watch Mary Poppins again.

Anyway, as I was watching Shutter Island, I was thinking “there’s no way this is going to end well”. Its obvious going in that nothing is what it seems, and that we the viewers are in store for some big surprise, or revelation, or twist. And as the movie progresses, Leonardo DiCaprio’s character is so good, and his causes are so just, that we want him to succeed…so of course, that was out of the question.

When the inevitable crushing revelation came, I was, in a word, “crushed”. But right at the end of the film, Teddy Daniels, DiCaprio’s character, speaks one line that gave me that sense of resolution and redemption I was looking for. I don’t know if I should thank Denis Lehane for that, or screenwriter Laeta Kalogridis, or Scorsese himself.

But to whoever was responsible for that little gift: “Thanks”.