A lot of great content is coming to Netflix for February, including Martin Scorsese’s underrated horror-thriller Shutter Island. The Leonardo DiCaprio-starring movie has a decent critical reputation, albeit without usually appearing in the lists of Scorsese’s top work. Why, then, is it worth checking out this feature when it hits the streaming service tomorrow?
Shutter Island was adapted from Dennis Lehane’s novel of the same name, and sees DiCaprio play Teddy Daniels, a Deputy U.S. Marshal tasked with discovering the truth behind a patient disappearance at an island’s psychiatric facility. Set in 1954, the story then sees Daniels come across increasingly confusing information about why he’s on the case, and what’s seemingly going on with the staff and those receiving treatment.
Defined by its twists and turns, Shutter Island is an effective thriller that shows off Scorsese’s impressive mastery of the genre. The picture also references classic film noir tropes, and while not an immediate hit with reviewers, is arguably strong enough to deserve a rewatch, especially if you’ve forgotten the key mysteries of the plot. Audiences were certainly taken with it in 2010, wherein it became Scorsese’s second highest-grossing release worldwide.
DiCaprio’s performance also came as part of his long relationship with the director, with Shutter Island being the fourth of his collaborations with the filmmaker. Scorsese himself would go down a different path with his next work, though, the family-friendly Hugo, before reuniting with DiCaprio for The Wolf of Wall Street. And although it’s fair to say that Shutter Island isn’t among his most innovative efforts, it certainly holds up after eleven years as a solid experience.
There are plenty of other options to choose from on Netflix, though, if you don’t want to revisit this particular thriller as we head into February, including a lot of decent content to watch that was added this weekend. But tell us, what’s your take on DiCaprio and Scorsese’s noir team-up? As ever, let us know your thoughts and opinions in the comments section down below.
