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EVERYBODY KNOWS THAT YR INSANE
Mar. 19th, 2010 10:28 amI watch movies. I have opinions. You read them. Or not. I post them anyway. Viva la bloggery!
Shutter Island
It’s not often you’ll hear me say such things, but this is one of those few times where the film version of a book turns out to be an improvement of the book ... at least for me.
I read Dennis Lehane’s Shutter Island a couple of years ago, and was generally not that impressed. Lehane is a decent writer, but the central twist to the story of US Marshal Teddy Daniels investigating the disappearance of a deranged patient from a remote mental hospital was not only a bit of a cliche, but also not all that convincing. But I was willing to take a chance on the film verson if only because Martin Scorsese is one of my all-time favorite film directors (albeit not one with a spotless track record, but still ...).
For some reason, Scorsese’s take works a lot better for me. I can’t say too much without giving it away, but Scorsese is great at ratcheting up the suspense as Daniels’ investigation is stymied at every turn and the sinister truth emerges – which is all the more remarkable given that (1) Scorsese pretty much sticks to the original story (apart from the location, which I think they changed for no real reason other than it lets Leo DiCaprio keep using the Boston accent he deployed in The Departed), and (2) I already knew that story, so I knew the twist going in (which also means I don’t know how obvious the twist might seem to people who didn’t read the book).
Anyway, the downside, as I said, is that the twist is pretty cliched by now, so whether you see it coming or not, it’s not particularly all that surprising. But if the secret isn’t the story’s originality but how you tell it, Scorsese tells it well. It’s hardly the greatest Scorsese film ever, but it’s still worth watching. It’s also pretty unsettling, especially if seeing dead children onscreen bothers you, which is bound to put a lot of people off. So be warned.
The madcap laughs,
This is dF
Shutter Island
It’s not often you’ll hear me say such things, but this is one of those few times where the film version of a book turns out to be an improvement of the book ... at least for me.
I read Dennis Lehane’s Shutter Island a couple of years ago, and was generally not that impressed. Lehane is a decent writer, but the central twist to the story of US Marshal Teddy Daniels investigating the disappearance of a deranged patient from a remote mental hospital was not only a bit of a cliche, but also not all that convincing. But I was willing to take a chance on the film verson if only because Martin Scorsese is one of my all-time favorite film directors (albeit not one with a spotless track record, but still ...).
For some reason, Scorsese’s take works a lot better for me. I can’t say too much without giving it away, but Scorsese is great at ratcheting up the suspense as Daniels’ investigation is stymied at every turn and the sinister truth emerges – which is all the more remarkable given that (1) Scorsese pretty much sticks to the original story (apart from the location, which I think they changed for no real reason other than it lets Leo DiCaprio keep using the Boston accent he deployed in The Departed), and (2) I already knew that story, so I knew the twist going in (which also means I don’t know how obvious the twist might seem to people who didn’t read the book).
Anyway, the downside, as I said, is that the twist is pretty cliched by now, so whether you see it coming or not, it’s not particularly all that surprising. But if the secret isn’t the story’s originality but how you tell it, Scorsese tells it well. It’s hardly the greatest Scorsese film ever, but it’s still worth watching. It’s also pretty unsettling, especially if seeing dead children onscreen bothers you, which is bound to put a lot of people off. So be warned.
The madcap laughs,
This is dF
