RECOMMENDED: Is anybody else a little wary of how Martin Scorsese has been hanging on to Leonardo DiCaprio for dear life? DiCaprio pulls his weight, for sure — his performances in The Departed and Gangs Of New York carried their respective titles, especially in the case of the former — but you can’t help but feel that Scorsese’s going back to the well with Leo yet again could be a fear-based decision. In Shutter Island, DiCaprio plays a U.S. marshal sent to an isolated hospital for the criminally insane to investigate the disappearance of a murderess. Scorsese is looking to employ the Hitchcock-ian tactics that made his read of Cape Fear truly thrilling (and pretty disturbing, too) in the 1990s. Trouble is, DiCaprio is no DeNiro, who does creepy — and creeped — awfully well. On the other hand, maybe we’re parsing a little too much here. Shutter Island has outsize talent as its engine; it’s gonna be remarkable even if it’s a mess.

ALSO NEW IN THEATERS: Blood Done Sign My Name, the true life story of civil rights activist Dr. Benjamin Chavis; and The Oscar Nominated Short Films 2010: Live Action and The Oscar Nominated Short Films 2010: Animated, both playing at Ritz At The Bourse.

For more recommendations on films currently in theaters, visit Philebrity’s Film Sweat archive. And click here for movie times.

This entry was posted on Friday, February 19th, 2010 at 5:55 pm.