Thoughts on Shutter Island?

Great movie but it was very predictable, it’s been done before. The crazy guy that doesn’t think he’s crazy but finds out in the end all he thought was reality was fabricated in his mind. I still liked it though, it was sad how he relapsed again.

I liked it. I thought that it had some originality to it, but I was kind of disappointed a little with the ending. I was expecting, from the preview, a little more supernatural type stuff than what happened. It kept me intrigued the whole time. So I’m calling it worth seeing in the theater, but don’t get really excited.

You do really think that he had a relapse? That he wasn’t brainwashed?

How did he end up in the lighthouse with the white clothes on still though?!

I would have liked the ending better if they had fucked with our heads more. All along I was hoping that it was going to be a setup, but then it turned out that he really was crazy. An ending that left it in doubt would have been a lot more puzzling. I liked it, but I really liked the Departed. That movie was awesome.

@Kelci33 Hmmmm, I’m not sure, he was wearing white, then woke up in different clothes huh? Maybe they changed his clothes because they were dirty and wet from swimming.

A girlfriend of mine was over for dinner tonight and we talked about this movie at one point. We had both seen it separately within the past few days. We mainly discussed the ending, whether he truly relapsed or not…I was of the opinion that he chose to relapse because he couldn’t handle living with the truth of what had happened to his family, because he seemed to know what was going to happen to him, since he had seen the ice pick they were going to use for the lobotomy and was actually leading the orderlies, not following them or being forcefully led away. My girlfriend, however, thinks he was faking the relapse based on his statement “is it better to live as a monster, or die a good man?”, and I have to say I eventually agreed with her. He was faking the relapse so that he could be the “good” man (Teddy) and not be Laeddis, who was the monster for not getting help for his wife, thereby killing his children. He knew that if the board and directors and everyone saw that his treatment was a success then he would either be let go or would stay at the hospital as a sane person, living as the monster Laeddis, and he couldn’t live with that, so he faked regression in order to die (aka, become a “ghost” through the lobotomy) as Teddy, the good man. Again, his reaction (or lack thereof) to seeing the ice pick, as well as seemingly knowing what was going to happen by leading the orderlies and calmly walking away from Chuck/Sheehan, is pretty good evidence for that.

I thought it was a pretty good movie. I’d like to see it again now that I know how it ends so I can watch for more signs that foreshadow the ending. It definitely wasn’t what I was expecting though…from the commercials, it seemed like it would be more of a supernatural/semi-horror movie. But I did enjoy it.

I’m still so confused! I’ve been thinking about the film ALL day!

I was so sad to hear that about his wife :( that is so sad!

I hope it’s not true. I’d like to think it’s not. That he was just brainwashed.

I think that i’d go crazy if my spouse killed my children as well though.

@Frankie I didn’t realize the latter until you said it, he could’ve feigned the relapse.

someone should put a SPOILER ALERT in neon letters on this question.

Don’t read any further. Spoiler alert!!!

Scorsese isn’t putting his name on the latest spate of trailers.

That’s all I need to know.

I enjoyed this movie because I enjoy movies that fool me. And this movie kept me guessing, and I’m still not sure of the ending. It’s for the Mystery lovers.

@Frankie Thank you soooo much for your response! because that is exactly what me and my girlfriend believe too! He is andrew and realizes that he has killed his wife, but he does not want to “live as a monster” so he chooses to be lobotomized as a “good man”! A little bit more evidence revealing that he chose his fate in the end is where Chuck/Dr. Sheehan stood up and called out “Teddy”, he did not respond. This proves that he realizes that he is andrew and is faking the regression. excellent ending to an excellent movie! and yes you should definitly go back and re watch the movie. I did. There are so many subtleties in the acting, its incredible! the way it was written and acted is incredible. The way that it can be seen as scary and questionable the first time you are watching it, and then when you watch it with a different connotation the second time, you clearly see the orderlies/nurses playing along with the game, its just amazing!