Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio have teamed once again to bring an intense thriller to the screen and have succeeded admirably.

Based on the Dennis Lehane novel of the same name, “Shutter Island” stars Leonardo DiCaprio as Teddy Daniels, a U.S. Marshall who takes an assignment at a mental institution when an inmate goes missing.

Accompanied by his new partner Chuck Aule (Mark Ruffalo “The Brother’s Bloom”), Teddy finds more opposition in his investigation from institution officials, orderlies and patients. Despite the resistance, Teddy pushes on, even when his partner goes missing.

Supporting players Ben Kingsley, Jackie Earle Haley (“Watchmen”) and John Carroll Lynch (“Gran Torino”) play off well against the lead characters. While none of these actors is doing his or her best work, each really brought great energy. Michelle Williams is outstanding as Teddy’s late wife.

The film plays out like a slowly ascending roller coaster. The audience is introduced to the characters, and the story and tension build as characters are developed. Once the story really gets underway, the last portion of the film picks up speed, making the ending all the more impacting.

Scorsese utilizes his classic cinematographic style and mixes in some new camera angles, and the screen images really reflect this. From his fast camera pans highlighting point-of-view shots to high angle shots displaying the eeriness of the hospital, the shots gave depth to otherwise generic scenes.

The soundtrack, on the other hand, was a bit of an interesting choice for the film. Heavy piano tones and heavy violin orchestration filled roughly 50 percent of the film. The other half was filled with silence and was only filled with on-screen, character developed noise. This added to the tension of the moment and certainly kept the audience on edge, waiting for the next scene.

Fans of the book can rest assured that the story is not only followed strikingly well, but the overall feel is present, which is the most important thing. The complexity of the story is expertly crafted and streamlined, which is something the book desperately needed. With so many storylines pulling the audience in opposite directions, the well-written script was a necessity.

“Shutter Island” presents an interesting mix of detective drama and thriller with an artistic edge and a dash of noir, and is a must see film for Scorsese and non-Scorsese fans alike.