Tag Archives: Nazis

Shutter Island (Theaters)

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Psychological thrillers are a lot like telling a joke. While the content and the set up are all very important, what makes it or breaks it is the delivery of the punchline. We’ve all heard even the best jokes screwed up by a poorly delivered punchline. The same rings true for thrillers. There is always some big reveal towards the end of the movie that most viewers either did or did not see coming. How it is revealed and what is revealed is crucial. I can’t even count how many promising thrillers were ruined by poor execution in this department. Which brings us to Shutter Island.

Shutter Island is the story of two federal marshalls who are sent to an asylum for the criminally insane to investigate the dissappearance of one of the patients. From the movie’s opening it is clear that not everything is as it seems. As the marshalls dig deeper and deeper into the disappearance they discover some shocking information about the island and themselves. That is about as detailed as it gets without getting into spoiler territory. Believe me when I say that this is a movie you will want to see and figure out for yourself.

I know many viewers will guess what the big twist might be at first, however it will be damn near impossible to figure out everything that the movie has hidden until the very powerful ending. As an avid moviegoer who usually figures out these types of things early on in the film, by the time the movie ended I was still genuinely surprised at its resolution. Director Martin Scorcese has had enough experience making quality movies that he definitely knows how to set up and deliver a punch line and this film is living proof of that.

Of course, Scorcese could not have pulled it off without his incredible cast. Leonardo DiCaprio is incredible as U.S. Marshall Teddy Daniels. Within the past five years or so, Dicaprio has become one of my favorite actors not only due to his incredible talent, but also his uncanny ability for picking solid scripts. His portrayal in this film is probably his best work yet, which says a lot when you consider some of his past performances. Mark Ruffalo also gives a great portrayal as Dicaprio’s partner Chuck Aule. Ruffalo is an excellent straight man to Dicaprio’s brooding, intense, paranoid character.

Another major standout is Ben Kingsley, who portrays Dr. Cawley, the doctor in charge of running the asylum. While it is no shocker that Kingsley is an excellent actor, it is nice to see him in a quality film that is deserving of his talents. Jackie Earl Haley, perhaps best known for his role as Rorschach in Watchmen or his upcoming role as the new Freddy Kreuger, also has a brief but amazingly intense scene with Dicaprio. With Scorcese’s direction and the brilliant performances by the cast, this film was easliy one of the most immersive movies I’ve seen in a long time. I felt genuinely disturbed by what was unfolding on the screen.

Shutter Island is an excellent movie. Too many films resort to cheap narration or overexposure to reveal the final plot points.With Shutter Island, each scene is well crafted and the way the plot is unveiled makes you feel like you are discovering what is going on a long with the characters, which just enhances the overall experience. I would highly recommend this movie to everyone. There is a good chance that this will wind up scooping up quite a few oscars at the year’s end and that is no joke.

Valkyrie (Theaters)

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When I first saw the previews for this movie, it immediately grabbed my attention. World War II films are fairly common, however Valkyrie was original in that it told the story of the fight against Hitler from a viewpoint within the Nazi ranks. The inclusion of Tom Cruise was also an added bonus, not exactly for his acting ability, but more for the fact that the quality level of projects he is associated with is usually top notch.  Factor in a Christmas Day release, usually saved for the best holiday blockbusters, and this film had all the makings of a hit.

Let me just preface by saying that this movie is not an action movie by any means. While I didn’t go into the theater expecting Jason Statham to be kicking people through windows, I did expect a bit more focus on action.  The lack of action is not a bad thing, however, the previews can be a bit misleading.

The story focuses on a group of officers in Hitler’s army who have taken it upon themselves to assassinate Hitler and reclaim Germany from the grip of the Nazis. It portrays the German army as being divided into two groups: those that willingly support Hitler and those that oppose Hitler but support him out of fear.  While the actual plot of Valkyrie is decent, it is this dynamic between supporters and conspirators that is really the highlight and main focus of the entire film.  Often times in movies, the Germans are portrayed as malicious Nazis all sharing a single consciousness hell bent on world domination and genocide.  In this film, we see that Germans are people too, and like many groups at the time were forced to support the Nazis regardless of their personal beliefs. 

Perhaps the biggest gripe many people will have with this film is the casting of Tom Cruise.  Although he maintains his essential “Tom Cruiseness” as he does in every movie, after a while it becomes less and less noticeable as you become more enveloped in the story that is unfolding. This is important to note, as he doesn’t exactly flex his acting muscles, ( or whatever acting muscles he has) his perforance is good enough that his character is both believable AND Tom Cruise without venturing into “Keanu Reeves” territory.

While actual historical events will keep the plot somewhat predictable, the story manages to maintain tension throughout, as the risk and consequences of being caught is ever present up until the movie’s ending.  The supporting cast is comprised of strong character actors who most people will not recognize any more than a simple “wasn’t he so and so in that other movie?”.  However in this film, the supporting cast performs excellently. 

Those who go into this movie expecting an action packed blockbuster will be sorely disappointed. Those who venture in with an open mind and a desire to gain insight into the most notorious government and dictator in human history will definitely learn alot from this film.  Overall the movie is well made with a decent plot, however the average movie goer may be a bit bored as some sections of the movie tend to drag a bit and the action is minimal.  History buffs will definitely enjoy this film as the amount of detail given to portray the priod accurately is noticeable immediately.  While not the best film to come out this holiday season, it is fairly interesting and entertaining throughout, with only a few exceptions.