We just finished seeing this one; I thought it was a fairly interesting plot, although it moves at a rather slow pace. You will either guess the outcome pretty quickly or be fooled by the time the story concludes. The re-pairing of Martin Scorsese with Leonardo DiCaprio seems to work well. Some actors and directors seem to be on the same page with things, and this is an example of that. Previously, they worked together on the films The Departed (2006), The Aviator (2004), and Gangs of New York (2002).
I think this is one of Leonardo DiCaprio’s finest performances to date. He has certainly grown as an actor demonstrating his gift to act on the big screen. Ellen Lewis and Meghan Rafferty should be given praise for their part in casting, without these collective talents brought together the film would have never reached the heights it did.
There was some back buzz around this movie when it was released February 19, 2010. But, it seemed to get rushed to DVD rather quickly. I missed it in the theater, but would have liked to have seen the difference on the big screen and in a dark movie theater. I’m sure for a film such as this; it would have added a certain something. However, while watching this movie, it rained and thundered outside helping to set the mood.
The film has a horror-like atmosphere about it, giving ongoing paranoid induced moments. The trailer even seems to capture this. The story is set in the year 1954, and takes place on a remote island where the place is secluded from the outside world without interference. Mark Ruffalo plays Chuck Aule and accompanies Teddy Daniels (Leonardo DiCaprio) they are both federal marshals trying to figure out what in the world is going on. The suspense strums along with strange sound effects and musical interludes.
The cast includes a number of talents such as Ben Kingsley playing Dr. Cawley, Max von Sydow playing Dr. Naehring, Michelle Williams playing Dolores Chanal, John Carroll Lynch plays Deputy Warden McPherson. Emily Mortimer, Patricia Clarkson, and Ted Levine all make appearances in this as well.
Keep your eyes open also for Elias Koteas playing Laeddis, Robin Bartlett as Bridget Kearns, Christopher Denham as Peter Breene, Nellie Sciutto plays Nurse Marino, Joseph Sikora plays Glen Miga, and Jackie Earle Haley plays George Noyce.
This film is your run of the mill psychological thriller, which keeps you wondering for most of the film. I found it to be entertaining and the cast were better than average. This film may not be for everyone, it was advertised differently than what it turned out to be. Still, it was good enough to watch but fair warning for the graphic subject matter which this film has.
Domestically, the film has a runtime of 138 minutes, and had a budget of $80 million it has grossed $290,876,238 million.
