Shutter Island really hit the spot. Without realizing it I had been subconsciously longing for a movie dedicated to the realm of mystery for quite some time now. Yes, there have been mysteries to be solved in other movies. Yes, there have been twist endings, surprises and other wonders thrown in. But for a movie to gamble everything on staying the course in the world of suspense and unraveling a riddle without falling victim to the seductive over-the-top action sequences, jump-out-at-you scare techniques, crazy body counts and intense levels of gore? It has been a while and it was a welcome re-initiation to the genre.

 

Yes. I was quite pleased with this movie. Two and a half hours long and I went into the movie exhausted, yet I was not bored for an instant. My eyes did not feel heavy. This movie had me engrossed, based mainly on its story.

 

A couple of US Marshalls are called to “Shutter Island” a pleasant little island surrounded by rock, having only one dock, and with the biggest tourist attraction being the asylum for the criminally insane. The purpose of their visit is to help discover and find one of the patients who has escaped. It is, of course, the investigation of this missing person that leads to many other fascinating ideas. Being a mystery, and a fun mystery at that, I imagine the less I tell you about the story the better.

 

I want to discuss certain aspects of the ending, but I cannot think of a way to do so without giving something away. So, instead, I will talk about Mallet Finger. This injury, common in baseball but also occurring in basketball, involves the tendons in the tip of the finger to be weakened, possibly torn to the point where there is no movement. The finger can no longer be straightened at will. The tip now crooks forward. They say this makes the finger look like a hammer, which is why they call it “mallet”. They are crazy, but you should not mock those that are trying to help you, so treat them as sane people. The healing process could take between 4-6 weeks. If it happens on your pinky you are kind of lucky, but typing still sucks and you really are supposed to keep it elevated as much as possible. ARRRRRRRRRRRGH!

 

Go see Shutter Island!