After I retired I decided to read more, and spent several hours each week thumbing through remaindered books at Barnes and Noble. I was soon hooked on crime thrillers as a form of low-budget entertainment, and Dennis Lehane's Prayers for Rain was the one that hooked me. A few months later, I finished his Mystic River, certainly the best crime novel I've ever read. Since 2003, I've completed seven of Lehane's nine books, and am currently about halfway through the eighth.
About five years ago, I read Shutter Island, which is unlike any of Lehane's other novels. I thought at the time that if the book was ever made into a movie, I needed to see it. It was, and tonight I did.
From my perspective, Shutter Island was a must-see mainly because of its origins in Lehane's novel, because it was directed by Martin Scorsese, and stars Leonardo DiCaprio. Lehane is listed on this blog as an exemplar, a writer whose talent amazes me at times. Scorsese has made as many excellent movies as any director I can think of, and DiCaprio is an actor who's grown on me as he's matured. He and Scorsese have now made four movies together; I've seen them all and enjoyed them all.
So what about the movie version of Shutter Island ? It's a hard film to categorize since it spans several genres, including detective, mystery, suspense, sinister government conspiracy, and psychological thriller. It's one of those movies in which nothing is what it seems to be at first glance, with several plot twists and an ending that is slightly ambiguous. It's been long enough since I read the book that I'd forgotten enough of it to be surprised and startled by the film version of the story. I'd recommend that anyone interested in the movie see it before reading the book, though.
If District Nine can be nominated for an Oscar, there's no reason Shutter Island couldn't be up for awards next year. The movie is rated R and earns that rating, and is recommended for people who've been able to handle any Scorsese movie with Robert DeNiro and Joe Pesci.
About five years ago, I read Shutter Island, which is unlike any of Lehane's other novels. I thought at the time that if the book was ever made into a movie, I needed to see it. It was, and tonight I did.
From my perspective, Shutter Island was a must-see mainly because of its origins in Lehane's novel, because it was directed by Martin Scorsese, and stars Leonardo DiCaprio. Lehane is listed on this blog as an exemplar, a writer whose talent amazes me at times. Scorsese has made as many excellent movies as any director I can think of, and DiCaprio is an actor who's grown on me as he's matured. He and Scorsese have now made four movies together; I've seen them all and enjoyed them all.
So what about the movie version of Shutter Island ? It's a hard film to categorize since it spans several genres, including detective, mystery, suspense, sinister government conspiracy, and psychological thriller. It's one of those movies in which nothing is what it seems to be at first glance, with several plot twists and an ending that is slightly ambiguous. It's been long enough since I read the book that I'd forgotten enough of it to be surprised and startled by the film version of the story. I'd recommend that anyone interested in the movie see it before reading the book, though.
If District Nine can be nominated for an Oscar, there's no reason Shutter Island couldn't be up for awards next year. The movie is rated R and earns that rating, and is recommended for people who've been able to handle any Scorsese movie with Robert DeNiro and Joe Pesci.
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