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Shutter Island

Shutter Island

Someone is missing.

2010138 minRMidcredits score: 99th percentile of all films
Director
Martin Scorsese
Starring
Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo, Ben Kingsley, Max von Sydow

World War II soldier-turned-U.S. Marshal Teddy Daniels investigates the disappearance of a patient from a hospital for the criminally insane, but his efforts are compromised by troubling visions and a mysterious doctor.

Where to watch

Where can I watch Shutter Island?

As of October 24, 2026, MovieCove lists Shutter Island streaming on Paramount+ via Prime Video and Pluto TV (free) and to rent or buy on Apple TV and Prime Video.

Your rating, lists and review

Highlights

What stands out about Shutter Island?

Shutter Island earns 14 badges, led by Top 1% of films and Modern classic.

Show 6 more
  • Rank
  • Reception
  • Craft and mood
  • Awards and box office
  • Cast

Reception

Is Shutter Island worth watching?

Shutter Island's Midcredits score is the 99th percentile of all films, from 5.5M ratings across 6 sources. 92% liked it (rated it 7 or higher out of 10).

Midcredits score

How well it was received

99th percentile

Better received than 99% of films

99th percentile among Mystery99th percentile among 2010s
Acclaim (how much people like it)98th
Approval (how many liked it)99th

82 /100

98th percentile of all films

98th percentile among Mystery98th percentile among 2010s

Critics 63 · Audience 83

Audiences liked it more than critics did.

Rating distribution

Ratings pile up at 9–10 with almost no detractors — near-universal love.

92% liked it

99th percentile of all films

98th percentile among Mystery99th percentile among 2010s
92% rated it 7–108% rated it 1–6

Critics 69% · Audience 77%

On Rotten Tomatoes, a bigger share of audiences approved than critics.

Awards

0 Oscars won · 0 Oscar noms · 11 wins / 66 noms overall

99th percentile

5.5M ratings across platforms

99th percentile among Mystery99th percentile among 2010s
TMDB popularity, last 155 days to Oct 26Up 8% in 30 days

Box office

Budget$80M
Opening weekend$41M
Domestic gross$128M
Worldwide gross$295M

Returned 3.7× its budget — 97th percentile earner in its genre.

What reviewers say

Common ground

Shutter Island is a stylish, twisty psychological thriller built around an investigation into a mysterious asylum.

Fans praised

  • Masterful direction and atmospheric tension
  • DiCaprio's layered, emotionally raw performance
  • Twist-driven, rewatchable narrative with subtle clues

Detractors panned

  • Predictable twist telegraphed early
  • Overlong, dragging middle section
  • Derivative of earlier psychological thrillers

What stands out

ActingDivisive85

DiCaprio's vulnerable, haunted performance; Kingsley's menacing calm

AtmosphereDivisive85

Relentlessly oppressive, claustrophobic island setting

CinematographyDivisive85

Gothic, noirish visuals; striking use of color and shadow

TensionDivisive75

Slow-burn dread; effective use of silence and storm

Plot and storyDivisive55

Twist-driven detective mystery; predictable to some

EndingDivisive55

Ambiguous, gut-wrenching final line; polarizing resolution

PacingDivisive45

Slow build with gripping moments; middle section sags

OriginalityDivisive30

Derivative of Hitchcock, 'Cabinet of Dr. Caligari', other asylum-twist films

Preferred by

No notable difference between any of the groups: each pair ranks it within 10 percentile points.

  • Women vs men 2 points apart
  • Under-30s vs over-30s 2 points apart
  • Critics vs users 1 point apart
  • US vs non-US 3 points apart

Watch experience

What is Shutter Island like to watch?

Conclusions only — categories and positions, no plot detail.

Mind-bender: browse every movie of this kind

Watch this when you are ready for heavy feelings, and you want a puzzle and can give it your full attention.

It is intense and leaves you thinking. Skip it when you want an easy night or you can only half-watch.

ToneFeelDemandwhat the answer rests onexact position · filled zone: the category

What it asks of you

Your full attention, room for heavy feelings and a taste for open questions.

What it feels like

Mind-bender.

Moods
DreadMelancholicContemplative
Heaviest: late
Register
Brooding: Heavy, inward, weather-beaten.Cold and cerebral · 4% of films: Detached and precise; keeps the viewer at arm's length.
The answer rests on this: Told as
Three-act: Setup, confrontation, resolution — the default Hollywood shape.Nonlinear · 6% of films: Events shown out of chronological order.
ToneThe film treats its psychological mystery and protagonist's descent with grave seriousness, never winking at the audience.
The rideThe film sustains a constant, mounting dread through its stormy atmosphere and Teddy's paranoia, punctuated by melancholic flashbacks, with the emotional weight peaking in the devastating final act.
StructureThe film unfolds in a conventional three-act structure but incorporates nonlinear flashbacks and dream sequences that reveal the protagonist's past.

How it leaves you

what you carry away

Thinking.

Thought-provokingHaunting · 14% of films
Why it leaves you this wayThe film's final, ambiguous moment and the character's tragic choice linger, prompting reflection on guilt, reality, and the price of forgetting.
How it ends · evidence
Ambiguous endingTwist

Story archetype

where it sits among all films
Monster — 21% of films. A threat menaces the hero's world and must be defeated.Rags — 3% of films. A rise from lowliness to fortune, status, or recognition.Quest — 10% of films. A journey toward a defined objective, with companions and obstacles.Voyage — 4% of films. Into a strange world and back again, changed.Comedy — 11% of films. Confusion and cross-purposes resolved into harmony.Tragedy — 9% of films. A flaw or fixation drives the protagonist to ruin.Rebirth — 13% of films. A stalled or darkened life reopened and renewed.Mystery — 7% of films. A question drives the story — who did it, what happened, what is real — until it is answered.No archetype — 22% of filmsPredator — 6% of films. A creature or killer hunts the protagonists (Jaws, Alien).Tyrant — 6% of films. A human villain holds power over the hero's world (Die Hard).Invasion — 2% of films. An external force attacks the home or world (Independence Day).Oppressive state — 2% of films. A government, its agencies or a secret faction inside them is the monster (V for Vendetta).Corporate villainy — 1% of films. A company or its bosses are the monster (Erin Brockovich).Institutional injustice — 1% of films. A court, prison, police force, school or church is itself the enemy (Spotlight).Class system — under 1% of films. The gap between rich and poor, or a rigid hierarchy, is the monster (Parasite).Technology turns — under 1% of films. Technology people rely on becomes the threat (The Terminator).Inner demon — 1% of films. The monster is within — addiction, illness, a dark double.Underdog triumph — 2% of films. Rise through competition or contest (Rocky).Social ascent — under 1% of films. A climb in class or status (Pretty Woman).Fame and fortune — under 1% of films. An artistic or showbiz rise (A Star Is Born).Rise and fall — under 1% of films. Wealth or power gained, self lost (Scarface).Hidden worth revealed — under 1% of films. The protagonist's true value finally recognized.Treasure hunt — 1% of films. Retrieve an object of value (Raiders of the Lost Ark).Rescue — 4% of films. Retrieve or save a person (Saving Private Ryan).Mission — 5% of films. Accomplish or destroy a defined objective (Mission: Impossible).Journey home — under 1% of films. The goal is getting back (Finding Nemo).Pilgrimage — 1% of films. The journey itself transforms; the destination is symbolic.Portal fantasy — under 1% of films. Transported into another world (The Wizard of Oz).Fish out of water — 2% of films. Displaced into an unfamiliar social world (Elf).Survival ordeal — 1% of films. Trapped in a hostile environment, fighting back (Cast Away).Time displacement — under 1% of films. Unstuck in time (Back to the Future).Descent — 1% of films. A night-journey into an underworld or subculture (After Hours).Romantic comedy — 4% of films. Lovers kept apart by confusion, united at last.Comedy of errors — 3% of films. Mistaken identity or misunderstanding drives the plot.Farce — 2% of films. Escalating absurd chaos and coincidence (The Hangover).Buddy comedy — 1% of films. A mismatched pair forced together (Rush Hour).Comedy of manners — 1% of films. Social codes and class satirized (Clueless).Hubris — 1% of films. Pride or ambition invites the fall (There Will Be Blood).Obsession — 2% of films. A fixation consumes the protagonist (Black Swan).Corruption arc — 2% of films. Step-by-step moral decay (The Godfather).Doomed love — 2% of films. Love destroyed by circumstance (Brokeback Mountain).Crushed by fate — 3% of films. Destroyed by forces beyond the protagonist's control.Redemption — 3% of films. Moral reawakening of a hardened soul (A Christmas Carol).Healing — 5% of films. Recovery from grief or trauma (Good Will Hunting).Liberation — 2% of films. Breaking free of a confining life (Room).Second chance — 2% of films. A stagnant life re-opened to love or purpose (Groundhog Day).Puzzle — 1% of films. A clue-by-clue puzzle you can try to solve before the reveal (Knives Out, Clue).Investigation — 5% of films. A long pursuit of the truth that may never be fully solved (Zodiac, Memories of Murder).Enigma — 2% of films. The mystery is what is real, or what is actually happening (Mulholland Drive).MysteryEnigma
Every story archetype, clockwise from the top
  • Monster 21%: Predator 6% · Tyrant 6% · Invasion 2% · Oppressive state 2% · Corporate villainy 1% · Institutional injustice 1% · Class system under 1% · Technology turns under 1% · Inner demon 1%
  • Rags 3%: Underdog triumph 2% · Social ascent under 1% · Fame and fortune under 1% · Rise and fall under 1% · Hidden worth revealed under 1%
  • Quest 10%: Treasure hunt 1% · Rescue 4% · Mission 5% · Journey home under 1% · Pilgrimage 1%
  • Voyage 4%: Portal fantasy under 1% · Fish out of water 2% · Survival ordeal 1% · Time displacement under 1% · Descent 1%
  • Comedy 11%: Romantic comedy 4% · Comedy of errors 3% · Farce 2% · Buddy comedy 1% · Comedy of manners 1%
  • Tragedy 9%: Hubris 1% · Obsession 2% · Corruption arc 2% · Doomed love 2% · Crushed by fate 3%
  • Rebirth 13%: Redemption 3% · Healing 5% · Liberation 2% · Second chance 2%
  • Mystery 7% (this title): Puzzle 1% · Investigation 5% · Enigma 2% (this title)
  • No archetype 22%

Mystery: A question drives the story — who did it, what happened, what is real — until it is answered. · Enigma: The mystery is what is real, or what is actually happening (Mulholland Drive).

7% of films fit this archetype

with Tragedy underneath

Why this archetypeThe story is an investigation into a disappearance that becomes a puzzle about reality itself, culminating in the protagonist confronting a suppressed tragic identity.

What it's about

7 groups · 53 themes
Bonds — 27% of filmsSelf — 22% of filmsPower — 7% of filmsMorality — 16% of filmsSurvival — 15% of filmsSociety — 9% of filmsIdeas — 5% of filmsRomantic love — 15% of filmsMarriage — 2% of filmsFamily bonds — 21% of filmsParenthood — 2% of filmsFriendship — 9% of filmsLoyalty — 4% of filmsIdentity — 14% of filmsComing of age — 5% of filmsAging — under 1% of filmsSelf-worth — 7% of filmsAmbition — 7% of filmsPurpose — 9% of filmsMemory — 3% of filmsObsession — 3% of films. A fixation consumes the protagonist (Black Swan).Power — 2% of filmsCorruption — 3% of filmsGreed — 3% of filmsClass — 3% of filmsOppression — 4% of filmsFreedom — 5% of filmsJustice — 13% of filmsDuty — 2% of filmsRevenge — 4% of filmsGuilt — 3% of filmsRedemption — 6% of films. Moral reawakening of a hardened soul (A Christmas Carol).Forgiveness — 1% of filmsSacrifice — 4% of filmsBetrayal — 5% of filmsDeception — 9% of filmsSurvival — 17% of filmsWar — 1% of filmsViolence — 4% of filmsMortality — 2% of filmsGrief — 6% of filmsTrauma — 7% of filmsMental illness — 1% of filmsAddiction — 1% of filmsIllness and disability — under 1% of filmsCommunity — 14% of films. Consequences reach a town, institution or group.Isolation — 5% of filmsPrejudice — 3% of filmsDisplacement — 1% of filmsFaith — 3% of filmsTradition vs change — 2% of filmsFame — 3% of filmsLegacy — 4% of filmsFate — 1% of filmsFree will — under 1% of filmsTruth — 4% of filmsHope — 5% of filmsNature — 2% of filmsArt — 4% of filmsTechnology — 1% of filmsSelfGuiltMorality
Every theme, clockwise from the top
  • Bonds 27%: Romantic love 15% · Marriage 2% · Family bonds 21% · Parenthood 2% · Friendship 9% · Loyalty 4%
  • Self 22%: Identity 14% · Coming of age 5% · Aging under 1% · Self-worth 7% · Ambition 7% · Purpose 9% · Memory 3% · Obsession 3%
  • Power 7%: Power 2% · Corruption 3% · Greed 3% · Class 3% · Oppression 4% · Freedom 5%
  • Morality 16% (this title): Justice 13% · Duty 2% · Revenge 4% · Guilt 3% (this title) · Redemption 6% · Forgiveness 1% · Sacrifice 4% · Betrayal 5% · Deception 9%
  • Survival 15%: Survival 17% · War 1% · Violence 4% · Mortality 2% · Grief 6% · Trauma 7% (this title) · Mental illness 1% (this title) · Addiction 1% · Illness and disability under 1%
  • Society 9%: Community 14% · Isolation 5% · Prejudice 3% · Displacement 1% · Faith 3% · Tradition vs change 2% · Fame 3% · Legacy 4%
  • Ideas 5%: Fate 1% · Free will under 1% · Truth 4% · Hope 5% · Nature 2% · Art 4% · Technology 1%

Morality

Guilt · 3% of filmsTrauma · 7% of filmsMental illness · 1% of films
Interrogates its theme: Questions its theme without settling the answer.Intimate stakes: Consequences reach a person or a household.Single lead
How it treats its themeThe film is fundamentally about Teddy's overwhelming guilt over the death of his children and wife, which his fractured mind has tried to bury under a fantasy of conspiracy and heroism.
StanceThe film examines guilt and trauma from the inside, questioning the nature of reality and whether a mind can survive facing its own worst truth.

The world

Mid 20th centuryInstitutionalRuralRealistic
Orchestral modernExperimentalForeground music · original score
SettingShutter Island, a remote forensic psychiatric hospital off the coast of Massachusetts in 1954
MusicThe score layers unsettling strings, dissonant piano, and haunting choral textures that amplify the film's psychological dread.

Content guide

Is Shutter Island okay for kids?

R

Shutter Island is rated R: “Rated R for disturbing violent content, language and some nudity” (MPAA). As of October 5, 2026, Midcredits content scores put its violence at severe (82/100), sexual content at moderate (44/100), language at intense (66/100), drug and alcohol content at moderate (58/100) and frightening material at severe (87/100). Overall it is heavier than 77% of R-rated films.

Ratings in 30 other countries
  • UK15
  • Canada14A
  • AustraliaMA 15+
  • Germany16
  • France12
  • Ireland15A
  • New ZealandR16
  • JapanR18+
  • South Korea15
  • Brazil16
  • Belgium16
  • BGD
  • Czechia18+
  • Denmark15
  • FinlandK-15
  • Greece16
  • HR15
  • Hungary16
  • ItalyVM14
  • Netherlands16
  • Poland18
  • PortugalM/16
  • Russia18+
  • SK15
  • Spain12
  • Sweden15
  • Switzerland16/14
  • Taiwan12+
  • TH18
  • UA16+
Overall
Intense · all five categories
Heavier than 86% of all filmsHeavier than 77% of R-rated films
Violence & Gore
Severe
typical for an R-rated film
heavier than 68%
Sex & Nudity
Moderate · audience split: No severity level holds a majority of voters
typical for an R-rated film
heavier than 43%
Profanity
Intense
typical for an R-rated film
heavier than 49%
Alcohol & Drugs
Moderate
typical for an R-rated film
heavier than 73%
Frightening / Intense
Severe
heavy for an R-rated film
heavier than 90%

Point along a line to see a well-known title at that level.

The reason to think twice is frightening material, violence, and language. Everything else sits at or below what R-rated films usually carry.

Source: Midcredits content scores, 0 (none) to 100 (severe) per category, with each standing ranked against other films that have them.

What content warnings does Shutter Island have?

MovieCove's classifier found 8 depicted content warnings in Shutter Island: Gun violence (severe), Hate-motivated violence (severe), War atrocities (severe), Gore or body horror (moderate), Medical procedures (moderate), Suicide (moderate), plus 2 withheld here because they would spoil the plot. Each is backed by a verbatim quote from the parents' guide notes; a missing warning is not a guarantee of absence.

SevereGun violenceHate-motivated violenceWar atrocities
ModerateGore or body horrorMedical proceduresSuicide

Cast and crew

Who is in Shutter Island?

Cast

4 of the cast already had the standing of a top-10% working actor.

Leonardo DiCaprio
as Teddy Daniels
Established: A standing when this film came out that a top-10% working actor has today.Top draw: One of the 3 biggest draws in this cast: billing here weighted by career star power.
Mark Ruffalo
as Chuck Aule
Established: A standing when this film came out that a top-10% working actor has today.Top draw: One of the 3 biggest draws in this cast: billing here weighted by career star power.
Ben Kingsley
as Dr. Cawley
Established: A standing when this film came out that a top-10% working actor has today.Top draw: One of the 3 biggest draws in this cast: billing here weighted by career star power.
Max von Sydow
as Dr. Naehring
Established: A standing when this film came out that a top-10% working actor has today.
Michelle Williams
as Dolores
Veteran: 15 or more years in, with as much work as the typical long-career actor.
Emily Mortimer
as Rachel 1
Patricia Clarkson
as Rachel 2
Veteran: 15 or more years in, with as much work as the typical long-career actor.
Jackie Earle Haley
as George Noyce
Career best: Their highest-reaching film role by billing, audience size and rating.
Ted Levine
as Warden
Veteran: 15 or more years in, with as much work as the typical long-career actor.
John Carroll Lynch
as Deputy Warden McPherson
Veteran: 15 or more years in, with as much work as the typical long-career actor.

Crew

More like this

What are movies like Shutter Island?

Movies like Shutter Island include Gone Baby Gone (2007), The Lodge (2019) and Saint Ange (2004). Of the 12 closest matches, several are films about mental illness, and several are stories about doctors.

Balanced: every group counts the same, and production only breaks ties.

7 of these 12 share its praise for atmosphere. Those cards say what else they share.

Explore by

What else shares a premise, people or place with Shutter Island?

1.3K other films share the rarest tag below, kind of film: neo-noir. Each tag opens Browse with the films that share it.