I don't usually talk about movies on my blog, but I figured why not? While I'm unemployed I'm not getting out as much so pontificating on subjects for which I am not really qualified comes naturally (now that's a clunky sentence). Anyway we saw Shutter Island the other day (warning: spoilers!). I love Scorsese movies, even the not-so-good ones. This one had its enjoyable elements but the overall story, with its "surprise twist ending," seems oddly unsurprising. While we were stunned at the ending, it was not because we were shocked by the revelations. We were stunned because we couldn't believe the 'surprise' was the ending we saw. How can it be a surprise when you are essentially told what the surprise will be?

This is not to say the movie lacked in other areas. I thought the acting was great, that Leo guy is overcoming how weird he looks as an adult was consistently anguished performances (mostly in Scorsese movies, it would seem). The production design and costumes were incredible, we kept trying to determine if the location was real or some kind of CGI fantasy (probably a lot of both). The cinematography was downright epic. But the narrative arc was something we'd seen so many times before, it just seemed strange to hang the whole film on this obvious ending.

The movie has obvious nods to film noir from the 40's; I appreciate the motif but you can't make a film noir in 2010 and not be aware of what has been produced in the last 70 years. I found myself thinking of everything from Angel Heart, to Fight Club, to Jacob's Ladder, even the old B movie, Shock Corridor. There have been tons of movies where it turns out the main character who is diligently trying to unearth the core mystery of the story turns out to be cause of it all. Hell, that's Oedipus Rex! Can we agree this whole thing has been done to death? The site TV Tropes has a lot to say about Twist Endings and how a twist can quickly become a cliche.

Now, there is a moment at the end that could be a little interesting: when it seems DiCaprio's character is pretending to lapse back into his fantasy world, if only to bring on the lobotomy and get the horrible memories (literally) out of his brain. But it's essentially a couple of lines of a dialog, and not enough to significantly alter the momentum of the ending. It's interesting to note, however, that at the moment of the 'big reveal' we get to see the moment that drives him over the edge (the scene with DiCaprio and Michelle Williams at the lake). This scene is one of the best in the movie, played down and full of tension. It's too bad it's there to service some canned, wide-eyed, oh-the-horror moment for the protagonist. It would be over the top in one of those old film noir movies, let alone some film from this year.

Again, enough of the movie is engaging enough almost to ignore the kitschy ending. I just don't think average moviegoers can be expected to forget the bulk of filmic history when they see a new movie; they don't exist in a vacuum. On IMDb, people are trying to debate whether or not the ending was 'real;' they're trying to claim the movie gives you enough material to allow you 'choose sides,' either with DiCaprio's view or with Ben Kingsley's (the head psychiatrist). I'm pretty sure this wasn't intended and just shows how desperate people are to give more meaning to the film that actually exists. It's not that complicated, I'm afraid. It's just that old misdirection/unreliable narrator thing that seems to be in every movie these days. The only thing more tired is the "It was the aliens that done it!" endings; I wonder what Scorsese has in store for us next.