A creepy setting, 1950s Boston accents and detective Leo.
Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio are one of cinema’s most celebrated partnerships. With a back catalogue spanning historical epics and Westerns to biopics and comedy, there’s plenty for your watchlist.
Beginning with Gangs of New York, the director-actor pairing have collaborated on six films together in 24 years. But you’ll need to act fast to catch one of their most celebrated pictures before it disappears from Amazon Prime Video — Shutter Island.
The crime thriller set in the ’50s will be leaving the platform after Friday, May 7. DiCaprio plays Teddy Daniels, a detective and World War 2 veteran tormented by his past, as he and his partner Chuck Aule (Mark Ruffalo) investigate the disappearance of a patient at a psychiatric institution.
Teddy and Chuck make their way to the Shutter Island, an remote and unwelcoming spot in Boston Harbour where Ashecliffe Hospital is tucked away.
The detectives frantically search for missing patient Rachel Solando, a woman who murdered her three children, who has vanished under deeply suspicious circumstances. And as if that weren’t enough, a hurricane is headed their way.
They encounter uncooperative staff members and things grow increasingly strange as they begin unravelling a sinister conspiracy.
At the same time, Teddy must confront his dark past. Visions of his wife, Dolores (Michelle Williams), who died in a house fire, merge with memories of WW2, including haunting flashbacks of the liberation of Dachau concentration camp.
Shutter Island proved to be a massive box office success across the globe, earning largely favourable reviews.
While this Scorsese-DiCaprio collaboration isn’t held in quite the same esteem as The Departed or The Wolf of Wall Street, it remains a thoroughly gripping watch.
The film continues to hold a “fresh” rating on Rotten Tomatoes, boasting a 69% approval score from critics and a higher 77% rating from regular audiences members.
“It may not rank with Scorsese’s best work, but Shutter Island’s gleefully unapologetic genre thrills represent the director at his most unrestrained,” notes Rotten Tomatoes’ critics consensus.
Reviews of Shutter Island
“An exquisitely crafted potboiler offering up two and a quarter hours of thrills, chills and Leonardo DiCaprio freaking out in a nuthouse during a hurricane,” wrote The New York Post.
“It’s enjoyable, it’s weird, it’s dark, it’s thought-provoking, and the performances are great,” wrote Horror Movie Talk.
One IMDb viewer wrote: “While a tiny bit slow at times, this film is absolutely masterful! While a lot of people praise the ending (rightfully so), not a lot of people praise the build up to it. The film hooks you almost instantly and never lets go. It has you guessing all the way through until the tragic ending. A great film! One of the best!”
Another described it as “one of the best movies I’ve ever seen”.
Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio movies
- Gangs of New York (2002)
- The Aviator (2004)
- The Departed (2006)
- Shutter Island (2010)
- The Wolf of Wall Street (2013)
- Killers of the Flower Moon (2023)
Shutter Island is available to stream on Amazon Prime Video through May 7.
