Screw what anybody else says... this movie blew my mind, its totally worth watching for the fantastic ending... i heard there was a good twist and whilst watching the movie I tried to think of every single possible thing that could have been the twist.... my oh my was i wrong and it was the craziest ending ever. I havn't met one person out 40 different people who said it was even slightly bad.. so I don't understand what all these stupid critics and people giving it a 0 rating are for. They just obviously can't sit through a movie until the end. As for what somebody said about how it doesnt explain the ending... actually yes it does in extreme detail, you are just too stupid to understand it all.… Expand

I just think that this movie is beautiful. No slow spots for its entirety. The story itself and the ending are not the main points of the movie. The main point is emotional journey of the main character and his inner change.

The cinematography is very impressive and the supporting cast is exceptionally good. Patricia Clarkson and Mark Ruffalo stand out. Ben Kingsley

A wonderful movie. Filmed with the passion of the best old horror films, spectacular acting and cinematography, it never bores. The plot gyrations keep you guessing until the end.

Incredible movie. Warning: must have a decent IQ to enjoy. I hate to say it, but these negative reviews are all superficial and do not do such a deep movie just.

The movie is predictable until the last five minutes. But the film directing and acting make it easily watchable.

The acting was great, but the story really lost momentum towards the middle. Scenes that were supposed to be creepy were numerous, and the CG was sub-par. Put this one on the shelf next to the other psy-thrillers with textbook twists

Some nice visual effects couldn't hide the fact that the twist was evident from within a few minutes of the start, and was then a long slow slog to get to the end. I nodded off, but woke just in time for the denouement.

To all those people giving this movie a 5 or below, stick with movies like the Green Zone or the 300. This movie was smart beyond belief. Scorsese creates a world that borders on the blurry lines of reality. Those who predicted the ending probably also knew Bruce Willis was a ghost within the first 9 minutes of The 6th Sense...BS. See this movie if you are willing to think. Leo is worth the ticket alone.… Expand

Well-directed and acted, but the big "twist" is entirely unbelievable. The film would have been much better without it - and the fact that the twist takes up quite a bit of screen time to explain only makes it more unberable - not to mention that most of everything you've seen up through then is rendered a waste of the viewer's time in the process.

Started great, cinematography beautiful, but poorly paced and B O R I N G. Wanted to leave 2/3rds of the way through.

Don't even waste your precious time on this movie. Boring at best. What was Scorsese thinking? Too bad, since you can usually count on a great film with the featured actors and director.

The movie looked beautiful, and was expertly done, and Dicaprio was excellent, but I was somewhat bored and thought the ending was VERY disappointing.

I would not change anything. Even the music that did not match up, it was deliberate to match with the misguided perspective of Leo. With that being said, I'm surprised some people did not entirely understand the ending. As a person who has seen the village and deemed it to be the worst movie I have ever seen, this movie went a little bit deeper vs the superficial uselessness that I thought the village had.. -HUGE SPOILER TO THOSE WHO DID NOT GET IT.- It was heart wrenching to see Leo surrender himself, although 'cured' of his delusions to the lobotomy because he was so haunted by the horror of what he had done and what his wife had done. In the end, he chose to die a hero. To me, this made the movie an utter tragedy. You must understand that the confusion, and plot lines that -didn't quite add up- were deliberate, as Leo was the entire time, quite mad and this was played through his perspective. I also wanted to give credit like another reviewer had about the ability of this movie to get into your head, disturb you so deeply and make you feel insane alongside Leo. With that being said, I will not see this movie again by choice.… Expand

If avatar is the best action movie, this one is the best thriller movie !!! Leo is awesome in this movie!

Wicked good movie, with an amazing twist. This is one of the many movies you cannot trust the critics with. A must see for any thrill fan.

Excellent movie. Not for everybody.

Most people will not be satisfied with the result of this picture, but the ending will make you think. Movies that make you think, are good ones. Movies that are good stick with you. Shutter Island is one of them.

Although I simply guessed what the twist was going to be at the end, it was a very well-made movie in my eyes. I love movies where you are stuck in the mind and perspective of the character instead of knowing that they are on the wrong track. Some complain that some of the scenes felt "useless", but I think of those as how you would actually see them as the main character: you have no idea what is going on, so you are trying to piece together a puzzle with all of the information that you have at your disposal. It's very, very reminiscent of The Shining to me, and also has hints of a modern classic spread throughout. I'll be buying this one.… Expand

If this weren't a Scorcese movie it would be easily recognized as the uninspiring Showtime Original late-nite thriller it is. I'll give it a few points for atmosphere and strong performances from Ben Kingsley and Mark Ruffalo, but there's just not much here you won't felt like you've seen done better elsewhere. DiCaprio is wildly miscast as the hard-drinking, traumatized, hallucination-prone investigator, as his boyish looks and comically thin beard stubble work against his flailing attempts to seem edgy and threatening. Save your money and rent Memento or Dark City instead.… Expand

It was a good movie that definately keeps your attention and delivers great performances. However, I was expecting more from Scorsese. Bottom line is thats its certainly not oscar worthy like pretty much every other film he has directed.

If you don't like it......you're probably over-critical or squeamish....this was great, creepy fun from one of the masters of film.

So boring. Terrible expository scenes. A miserable filmgoing experience

It was pretty good. I expected a little better from Scorsese, but this was still a solid movie from him.

Interesting premise, and an excellent performance turned in by DiCaprio as always, as well as the other cast members, but the movie runs about 30 minutes too long to get to a plot twist that we've seen all too many times. The entire "everything you just witnessed was all in the madman's mind after all" idea was pretty cool the first 20 times I saw it. Minus a couple points for originality, or lack thereof, and minus a few more for unnecessarily dragging the movie out to a 2+ hour screen time. Not the worst movie I've seen this year, but I don't want to watch it again.… Expand

It redeemed itself quite well in the final 30 minutes but really, who wants to watch 105 minutes of crap just for 30 minutes of entertainment?

Terrific acting and a great plot that keeps you guessing until the very end. Ignore the naysayers and see this film!

Loved the acting and the script. Great movie, makes you think and walk away talking about it.

Fantastic movie with interesting characters, locations, and dialog. If you like Hitchcock, you'll enjoy this thriller.

AgnosticEtc. Wow, you sure have been drinking that KoolAid!! It's just a movie. That said, it's a pretty good Hitchcockian mystery and if you are willing to suspend disbelief, you'll have a great time. It's a bit too long, but the ending is worth it. Enjoy!

Did anyone else feel as if you were standing on a soundstage everytime one of the characters was: on a boat, in a car, or dangling from a cliff. The movie looked cheesy. Biggest compliant though, nice dialogue change at the end of the film....ruined it. Read the book.

Absolutely Terrible. Too long, too predictable, soundtrack was just ridiculous. Very disappointed.

Well done movie, but if I understood the ending correctly, it's like THE CABINET OF DR. CALIGARI in the release version with a frame that gives us a sweet old authority figure and everything pretty much right with the world. ***SPOLER HERE: It may be that DiCaprio's character is going to be lobotomized, but even if that is the sad case

A great cast wasted: Max, Ben and Mark were great!. If the twist was the point, I got it in five. If the ride was the point, it was too long: I nodded off, though woke in time to have my theory confirmed! (Roger C - what do you mean 'penultimate' actor? In what way is he 'the last but one'?)

The worst sort of twist endings are the ones that sacrifice continuity for shock appeal, and unfortunately that is the case here... The twist in Shutter Island renders everything that came before utterly implausible, and worse, mostly irrelevant. I wouldn't say it was a total waste of time but in the end it seemed rather cheap and shallow, despite the holocaust imagery and bloated running time.… Expand

I wanted my money back half way through this movie. Love Scorsese and Leo but question their reason for doing this loser of a film.

Pretty good. definitely worth watching. except i like the story a lot more before the twist. so much careful development and plot for nothing. throw it all out for a cheap trick. still good film though.

Although slow moving in the beginning and 30 minutes too long, the ending makes up for these deficiencies. DeCaprio and Kingsley were quite good. I recommend it but you have to have patience to get through it.

At times you wondered where the story was going, and definitely questioning yourself on what is actually happening. This movie pays off in the end. The entire movie leads it to it's last 45 mins or so. A very nice noir-thriller from Scorsese. Though not his greatest, it's still an impressive film to add to his immaculate career.

It was a great ride - if you let yourself go along for the ride. I guess I can see what people are saying when they claim they "saw the twist", but frankly there are many pieces that you don't get till the very end. Overall, with its 50's feel and intense music, this was a very good film.

Very intriguing as to trying to figure out "who is what?' Go see it and THEN read about it.

This movie broke my heart. It was a true piece of cinematic art. It was visually beautiful and intellectually stimulating but sad, sad, sad. I still loved it though. Bravo Leo and Scorsese. You are genuine masters of your craft.

I was bored by this film. The dialogue sounded unnatural and the plot seem ridiculous until it reached the final moments when they revealed the 'twist' to the story. By then, i had almost wanted to leave the room.

Walked out of the movie after 35min, never done that before. it felt like the director was taking all elements of horror and just throwing them together, stuck in the holocaust for good measure too. crap movie.

To be sure, I love Scorsese and am generally a fan of DiCaprio's, but this movie was disappointing on all levels. It was so riddled with cliche after cliche, and to be honest, I didn't feel this movie was much of a thriller at all. I had the twist figured out half-way through and was just bored waiting for the reveal. And that's another thing...the twist. Do we have to keep seeing movies with that twist? Seriously, Fight Club, the Machinist, Identity, etc etc etc. It's old, it's done. I don't care anymore.… Expand

Shutter island is the worst movie of the year. it has a plot like a shit. the movie is boring and stupid.

[***Spoilers***] do not read if you are going to watch this*** This was a pathetic movie. The ending is SOO telegraphed its unreal. The movie opens with him going on and on about hating water for some reason - then you find out that they are looking for someone who drowned her kids. hmmm. the "brand new partner" thing. When they interview the patients and the patients make a point of glancing over at the "new partner" when the missing doctor is mentioned. and this is in the first half. The last half is a long plodding walk to be disappointed.… Expand

It was alright. Was expecting something entirely creepy, suspenseful and, you know...not boring. It wasn't bad though. Just something i wasn't expecting.

Awful movie. Now it clearly doesn't deserve a 0, but this was the worst POS movie by a good director and a good crew I've ever seen. There was only one twist in the plot, and it was hugely predictable. I came in expecting to be scared, or at least thrilled, none of which happened. This movie sucked.

Figured out the plot 1/4 into the movie, but I still enjoyed it. The movie was very well directed, kept my intrest. Overall better then I expected it to be.

A beautiful projected film with inspiring characters and a plot worth sticking to your mind for the next couple weeks! Great acting by Leonardo DcaPrio, made my night for sure sent chills down my spine and loved it for it!

Classic mystery flick! 2 thumbs up sweet performances, vicious storytelling! loved it Recommended!! Go see Shutter Island!!

Did not find morbid or bloody...disturbing? yes. A thriller? yes. Good movie very well made.

Great psychological thriller. Stuck very close to the book. Great performance by DeCaprio and Kingsley and great job of creating an atmosphere of fear and dread.

Great thirller. Great cast. Great script.

I feel it was a masterpiece. The way they filmed it was in the tradition of Alfred Hitchcock. It was as much a masterpiece as Inglourious Basterds to be honest. The way it was filmed was done to only to demonstrate that nothing was supposed to seem real. Remember, he was halucinating? Scorcese meant for the audience to be confused until the last moment of the film. The last line. That9;s what I saw, but I will say that this film is the story of a tragedy and it is certainly an acquired taste, but then again so are all of scorcese's movies. Shutter Island is a great movie. If you like Donnie Darko, you'll love Shutter Island, it is a mind bending thriller not a horror. This is the movie to see at this time. Surely a new cult classic.… Expand

Great thriller. Unexpected ending. Some people leaving the theater said the movie sucked, but the majority of the people left asking questions. What I took from people asking so many questions, was a great movie. When you leave a movie and can't stop thinking about what just happened. You must have liked the film. Leo gives another solid performance and the rest of the cast was good acting. Sir Kingsley made you want him to fail so badly, being the bad guy.… Expand

Hands down one of the most amazing films I've ever seen. The story is profound and the ending is tragic. The film is beautiful. Do yourself a favor and go see it before it leaves theaters. Definitely on my top ten.

Great film, nice ending that doesn't seem like a twist for the sake of having one. Takes queues from early psychological films. Believable acting as always from DiCaprio.

Awesome. There was nothing trippier than this film ever since fight club. Great acting from the cast, minor and major. I felt crazy by the time i walked out of the theater. It's also very Scorsese. Good Job Marty!

[***SPOILERS***]I really don't see what others are getting from this movie. Yes Leo did do as great job acting in this movie and to its credit all of the characters were acted out well. The problem falls on the movie itself. To all of you who say that there was a "twist". Are you serious how could you not see whats coming a mile away? The guy even says..point blank...YOU ARE THE 67TH PATIENT. And with all of his visions and flashbacks..did you really think this was a sane individual? See it if you want but i for one wish i could get my money back. Like i said in the opening the acting was great but the story is just awful.… Expand

Slow and predictable. The book is far better than the film.

Great story, entertaining film. Dicaprio is AWESOME, and I'm not usually a Dicaprio fan. This may be his first film I have seen where I see the character Dicaprio is playing, rather than the actor. He is amazing throughout. The film is not without flaws (music is at times over the top, ending/twist is somewhat predictable, although still well-executed IMO). Nevertheless, I really can't see how anyone can't at least find this movie entertaining. The performance by Dicaprio alone makes this film worth seeing.… Expand

Amazing! A movie with an amazing storyline. I felt like my was scrambled at the end of movie. They dont make movies like these anymore. Great acting and script.

Good movie, some boring parts though. Great ending.

Not much redeeming about this movie, other than perhaps the cinematography. Otherwise, pretty run-of-the-mill story (at least the way it was told), and not nearly the mind-blowing experience it was intended to be. "Meh" is the right word to describe it. Hard to believe this came from Scorsese. Wait for the DVD, if you really feel the need to see this at all.

[***SPOILERS***] Pretentious, frequently vacuous nonsense. Usual liberal arty farty bollux. The final "twist" is utterly absurd. And factually grates (being very polite) with the actual plotting. Funny how the sea, during a supposed hurricane is virtually calm. Funny how someone who has NOT been off the island for TWO YEARS initially appears on a ferry coming from the mainland to the island. The plot is full of holes, with ludicrous contrived waffling that attempts to fill it in. The actual "truth" at the end is as about as mundane as it gets. A man has killed his wife when he discovers she's insanely killed his kids. "The Village" kind of twist at the end and the notion that EVERY SINGLE person, (including unhinged psychotic patients) on the loony bin hospital island was cheerily "in on it" is beyond pathetically stupid. Scorcese needs to stick to his violent mafia films. Liberals will doubtless fawn and slobber all over this crap because of who directed it. Bet if Bruce or Clint or Arnie had been the lead with a different no-name director the plaudits would be rather less forthcoming. Where do I get my refund?… Expand

The last time this legendary filmmaker tried his hand at suspense, it was a cape that the characters feared, in which a defense attorney and his family got wet, thanks to an uninvited guest on their houseboat. This time, it's a bay, and the swimmer, Edward Daniels(Leonardo DiCaprio), is alone(thanks to "Pond Fear"), as he wades his way through the ocean water toward the lighthouse. He's no Max Cady, but the essence of the actor who played that psychopath from the 1991 film, situates himself in the body of saltwater with the federal marshal, albeit engaged in a different sort of fight that he had with Nick Nolte in "Cape Fear"(the remake of the 1962 J. Lee Thompson original), although both altercations are intrinsically based on guilt. Juxtaposed against the realism of Edward's tour of duty in Dachau, where the concentration camp scenes are handled in an adequately sober fashion, is the suggestion of B-movie elements you'd find in a Nazi exploitation film, and as Edward swims closer to the lighthouse, the moviegoer gets to guess as to which WWII filmic tradition will be the winner of this dialectic struggle. It's a headlong rush toward the precipice of genre, as Edward climbs the spiral staircase and busts into the room of discovery and truth. Hitchcockian in its approach to suspense as "Cape Fear" was, in "Shutter Island", Edward is a voyeur to the movie in his head(the audience as voyeur), in which he turns his real-life war experiences into the stuff of Nazi exploitation flicks. Now all he needs to do is find the theater where this movie is playing. Is it in the lighthouse?… Expand

No doubt incredible moviemaking! The visuals were tight and vivid, but the pacing was slow and plodding at times...I found myself detaching...internally saying, "Hurry-up, already!" Concluding twist is good to chew on. I also appreciated the Warden sequence in the jeep, where Marty, I believe most honor-rificly rips off Kubrick.

While I did enjoy the film, I, like many others, was let down by by the "twist" ending. The twist was visible for a while, so I was expecting a second twist [[SPOILER ALERT]]: the lighthouse where "experiments happen" was the setting for the revelation that Teddy is not really Teddy. I was over-thinking for the next 15 minutes, expecting the final twist to be, when the 2 doctors are trying to convince Teddy that he's someone else to be the actual experiment, and the horrible experiment to be to convice him that hes someone else. So simply i thought the ending would be: - doc try to tell Teddy he is really Andrew - Teddy believes it but... - It's a lie! that is the experiment... -to convince people they are someone else, when they are not! but sadly no, it was more simple than that, and therefore far more obvious! still, its a good film, but for scorsese, not at his normal standards.… Expand

I had waited in anticipation for this, but was let down by the "twist". The CGI was poor. Scenes didn't quite flow right for me. When a scene was required, it just appeared as when Teddy was wandering and the warden just appeared. I was thinking that something of substance would occur, but no it was just a ride back followed by that eye thing. Made no sense, very pretentious and contrived in my book. I knew the end about 3/4 through, but was hoping for the double negaitive. The acting was very good though, and I'll rent it when it comes out as I'd like to see which clues I missed, similar to "The Sixth Sense".… Expand

As a character development piece, sure, it's a decent film. Nice cinematography. Good directing, as well. Too bad the story is boring hogwash. Remember that movie, The Village? Same kind of stupidity.

While I left this movie completely blown away, I understand why many felt let down. They entire movie is spent like Edgar Allan Poe's Tell-Tale Heart. You are going insane alongside the main character. You are as confused as he is, and just as scared for his life as him. By the ending, as any good movie would have it, you want the main character to be so right! I can't say more without ruining it. One thing that is great about this movie is that everything done unconventionally is completely on purpose. The shot length, the way supporting characters act, the "sloppy" editing. It all pays out in the end. Yes, at first I was angry at the ending, but the very end makes it that much better.… Expand

Long, dull, often pointless, and yes criminally predictable. Good production values, and some good performances (some bad ones too) cannot make-up for a film that consists of little more than exposition. There must be 20 scenes involving various characters giving speeches. Yikes... The movie consist of long speech, silly flashback, long speech, silly flashback, over and over again until the not so surprising conclusion.… Expand

Starts off a little slow but really picks up by the end. The story isn't bad and it is worth seeing for Leonardo DiCaprio's performance alone. What an actor!

Shutter Island is undoubtedly a flawed movie, but does not fail to entertain by any means. Let's start with the bad stuff. Shutter Island might be Scorcese's worst directing job of all time. The dialogue is often corny and overly explanatory, a few key actors were very poor (the Deputy Warden comes to mind), certain scenes progess with video-game-like logic, and the musical score at certain times in the film was downright befuddling. Dare I say, Scorcese didn't need to direct this film, and it might have been BETTER executed by a less highly-touted director. Fear not, there's plenty of good stuff too. Despite the movie's length, I found myself rapt with attention throughout, wondering what secrets of Shutter Island would be unveiled next. Much of the acting is quite good, including the performances of Ben Kingsley and Patricia Clarkson. And while I certainly wouldn't dare reveal the "twist" in Shutter Island, the film definitely leaves you guessing until the end. Again, this was a fine and amusing film, but it might have been much better in the hands of, say, M. Night Shyamalan?… Expand

Horrible Cliche Garbage. Even Scorsese couldn't save this hack story. Terrible.

This movie was absolutely ridiculous. I just couldn't believe I had paid for this one to watch. That it was directed by Scorsese. If you're expecting a movie of the same caliber as The Departed please stay away. In fact, just stay away. Go watch Instinct again or something. I predicted the plot, was annoyed by the intense music (that was there for absolutely no reason) wasn';t pulled in by it. The only justification I can give for sitting through it and not falling asleep was the brilliant performance by DiCaprio. Giving it a 3 since all this movie has over a 1-star movie is excellent acting & good visuals.… Expand

For me it was suspenseful from beginning to end. My question is, considering his demeanor and the question DiCaprio's character asks at the end, was he still in denial or trying to engineer another way of escape from his torment.

Marty, Marty, why did you waste two hours of my life? I'm almost incredulous that a director of his caliber could make something so laughably bad.

I was very disappointed by the story and the sound/music effect, it became very annoying to watch. There is absolutely no twist what so ever, the story just dread on and on. I give it a 2 for the good acting of DiCaprio and some good visual effects.

Everybody who gave this movie a bad rating obviously did not understand it, and the only reason you would not be able to understand it is if they didn't have a brain. i however thought this movie was amazing. Leonardo Dicaprio gives the performance of a lifetime. he is definitely one of the best actors of this generation.

Not what I was expecting and not that memorable a movie. It may make a good rental but not worth the admission price. The music is unbearably inappropriate for most scenes and the ending could have been a lot better. The only bright spot was DiCaprio, he gave his character the emotional range it needed though the talent of the other actors was mostly under-utilized. Ben Kingsley and Max Von Sydow could have done much more to support the film had they been allowed. I'm being generous giving it a 5 out of 10.… Expand

SHUTTER ISLAND, which I indeed admire, is nonetheless one of the most emotionally unpleasant films I've ever seen. In retrospect I was struck by how closely its narrative template conforms to Robert Bloch's script for the 1962 remake of THE CABINET OF CALIGARI (directed by Roger Kay).

Deeply disappointing, becaase WAAAY overploted, and waaaay too long. As many reviewers noted, this length is its chief embarrassment: it allows you to think it through, they fail to explain. I gave up on it between the cemetary scene with dialog sounding like an outake from "A Beautiful Mind" and the meeting with Noyce. Thereafter, it just became annoying. Would that Scorsese learned that there is a reason why Hitchcock - the master of suspense - strove to put ordinary characters into extraordinary situations. That way, we can identify with our protagonist, allowing suspense to build. I shudder to say that this balloon sailed into the ether far too soon. A waste of great talent, writing and set potential.… Expand

This movie is such a breath of fresh air. A very classy thriller, finally with an ending that delivers! How could you NOT like this movie...?!?!

Great film and super ending.

If you're looking for a classic anti-hollywood surreal/pshyco/thriller movie, then by all means you must watch this movie. People who dont like this movie were the ones expecting an over-the-top horror-thriller that doesnt require thinking. This movie does, indeed make you think but the script is not by any means confusing, cheating or misleading, and the plethora of people who say it is just didnt want to think. Also, the ending is probably one of the best I have ever witnessed. Who could have thought that any one-liner could have possibly wrapped up a movie so well?… Expand

Great movie with a very smart ending. Warning: You need a high IQ to appreciate and actually understand this movie in its entirety. Hence why there is such extreme variance in user ratings.

Martin and Leo best director actor combo in a long time... The only people who didn't like this movie are closed minded people who can't deal with surprises.

It makes you wonder, and question the ending. Was that his destiny, or was DiCaprio's character always in that situation? It can go either way. Granted, the music was a bit off, and it did take away from how the true feeling of certain events should feel like. The acting was great, and it keeps you guessing until the end, and even after.

This is one of the worst movies I have ever had to endure. Totally unbelievable, music is horrible, story is dull and tiring. Leo, should have stayed on any island but this one. Save yourself from this movie.

While I enjoyed watching this nifty little diversion, it's best if you forget who's in the director's chair. This is (very) minor Scorsese, so set your expectations accordingly! Ignoring that, this is unabashed hardboiled pulp, lifted above it's rote script by elegant cinematography, excellent acting and a palpable sense of dread. Worth a viewing, just don't expect it to stay with you for long after you've left the theater.… Expand

Great movie! This is one of those movies you need to watch twice to understand it all, and I'm sure I'll enjoy it more the second time. It's very confusing and then it all comes together at the end. GREAT MOVIE.

This movie is great in the fact that it makes you truly question the disturbing reality the character is trapped inside of. You are inside the head of this man. You do not know what to believe. If you're going to call this Scorsese's Hitchcock movie, then it accomplishes it's objective nearly perfectly. It forces the audience to get inside the head of the insane, making it nearly impossible to distinguish truth from reality. You don't want to believe the ending but you are forced to accept it. That's brilliant. I would give this film higher but the groundwork was pretty much laid out for the director by the psycho genius Hitchcock himself. Still, it's execution couldn't get much better.… Expand

I seriously thought about leaving 20 minutes in but I still had popcorn. I thought, okay.... let me give it a chance. It had bits and pieces that were actually pretty good, but all of those pieces just didn't fit together. I felt like I'd been broken up with at the end and wasn't allowed closure. If the wife was shot, why was she burning up in the apartment scene? Who actually thinks that ANY insane asylum for the CRIMINALLY insane would allow a patient free reign to interview other patients? Really??? My suspension of disbelief was suspended after the children were all bloody. I leaned to my movie partner and said... didn't they drown? Why the blood??? None of it made sense. If this was a close to the book as it gets, I don't want to read the book either. It was horrible! The popcorn was great though!… Expand

A+ direction coupled with B-movie script. This movie was borderline horror done very well. Exceptional shots, music, acting, suspense... but far too many plotholes and a weak, predictable, run of the mill ending. I definitely recommend the film, but for anyone to do so to be forgiving of the plot. Once you do so, the movie is fantastic.

Wow, just wow those are the words that come to my mouth after watching this movie. One of the best movies I have ever watched I really cant understnd ratring from sites like salon.com and newyork times or even meta crtic itself, maybe they need some gun shots and big phony fights to rate higher a sure shot oscar award winner