Viewed in
2011
Formats
Netflix streaming (Xbox 360)
Premise
Leonardo DiCaprio stars as a 1950's U.S. Marshall sent to a mental institution/prison island to investigate the disappearance of a violent patient.
Liked
The acting, the character study.
Disliked
The ending.
Thoughts
Overall, it was pretty strong.
I liked the acting the best. The cast was full of recognizable names who all put in wonderful, chilling performances that befit the mood of the story. As expected, DiCaprio carried this film effortlessly with obsessive sympathy. Everyone else was spot on, no weak links.
Director Martin Scorsese found the right balance between spooky whodunit and intellectual character study. I found myself engrossed in the mystery of the island as well as the unraveling of DiCaprio's lead. For the most part, Scorsese let the actors and cinematography do most of the heavy lifting in creating a haunting atmosphere visually and mentally. There were other times when Scorsese indulges the audience with hallucinatory imagery on par with other 2010 psychological mind-f*** movies like Black Swan and Inception.
Speaking of the Christopher Nolan film, it was interesting that Leonardo DiCaprio picked these two films back-to-back. Having seen both now, it is rather funny how similar they were in terms of style, narrative, and lead role. I don't think it really diminishes either one, but DiCaprio must have been one hell of an an obsessive dude when he signed on for both.
What prevented greatness was the last act. Granted, it was probably the same ending as in the book, but I felt like it was kind of a cop out. The conclusion was pretty logical with the beginning and middle, so maybe it was just a personal taste that left me disappointed. Because I did not like where it went, it was hard for me to feel the emotions that Scorsese and DiCaprio worked so hard to achieve for payoff. Alas, such is art.
Overall, it was an effective hybrid of a trippy mystery fueled by strong performances and visual execution. I did not like the ending, but I enjoyed the spooky ride.
What I would change
Not sure, since I never read the novel.
Personal
As a Monk fan, I was amused that once again, Ted Levine played a figure of authority.
