Shutter Island Reviews
Spectrum (St. George, Utah)
An enticing, engaging piece of work, worthy of a second viewing, which is never a bad thing.
Full Review
| Original Score: B+
Movies for the Masses
click to read full review
Full Review
| Original Score: 4/5
Moving Pictures Magazine
Much will be made of the movie's Sixth Sense-like twist ending, but a second viewing will reveal carefully constructed plot, characterization and performances.
fantastiqueZINE
They don't call him Martin Scorsese for nothing you know!
Little White Lies
The problem, then, arrives in the film's hurried final act, where a hitherto steady narrative gives way to an engorged twist that, whilst believable, insults the audience's comprehension of everything that has come before.
Shadows on the Wall
Scorsese packs the film with so many thrilling details, surreal asides and masterful set-ups ... that we can't help but enjoy the ride.
Full Review
| Original Score: 4/5
FHM [UK]
Neither Scorsese nor Di Caprio is at the top of their game in Shutter Island, but like all successful teams they know how to win when they're playing badly. Good not great.
Full Review
| Original Score: 3/5
Total Film
Some may find it emotionally distant and cold to the touch, yet that's no slight on its superb construction and fine ensemble cast.
Full Review
| Original Score: 4/5
News of the World
So jump on that ferry and prepare for a stomach-churning crossing. Just don't blame me if you end up marooned.
Birmingham Post
Ruffalo is underused, some interior scenes resemble a bad sci-fi thriller and with little emotional engagement on offer, Shutter Island just doesn't have the legs to sustain its running time.
This is London
Shutter Island is too long and its increasingly surreal tone provides an ending that's a bit of a cheat. But, since it is a Scorsese picture, there's a lot to intrigue on the way.
Full Review
| Original Score: 3/5
Liverpool Echo
It is not Scorsese's finest offering by a long way, leaving us disoriented but ultimately unfulfilled as the cops get their answers.
Financial Times
Since Scorsese is a stylist, the film is enjoyable. It would be more so if you could take out your brain and experience it only with eyes and ears.
Full Review
| Original Score: 2/5
Daily Telegraph
Shutter Island could have been an entertainingly hysterical trainwreck, but the train doesn't even leave the station.
Full Review
| Original Score: 2/5
Sun Online
This is one the year's must-see movies.
Full Review
| Original Score: 5/5
Daily Mirror [UK]
There's no doubt that Marty's still got it.
Full Review
| Original Score: 4/5
Observer [UK]
Shutter Island is impressively acted, superbly designed by Dante Ferretti, atmospherically lit by Robert Richardson, and has costumes by Sandy Powell (who won her third Oscar last week) that are almost surreally of the 1950s.
Guardian [UK]
At the end of it, I got a whiff of shaggy dog.
Full Review
| Original Score: 3/5
