The opening sequence of Shutter island gives an insight to what the rest of the film is about and gives us an idea of the character’s roles. Starting with Leonardo Di Caprio forgetting where here cigarettes are on the boat, it shows his venerability and there is perhaps something wrong with him at the moment. Perhaps he is ill or there may be something more. The establishing shot of the island in the stormy weather shows the destination and mysteriousness of it. It also shows how there could be danger on it, awaiting them. After meeting the first set of guards, they pass through countless wire fences and high brick walls, which are particularly ugly. This subverts from the stereotypical island which should be paradise. Upon entry into the mental institute, there guns are taken leaving them weak and Di Caprio’s partner struggles with taking his gun out of his holder. This shows his inability to perform daily activities that people in his field do, therefore showing he is inexperienced. As they walk through the courtyard, the chained, mental inmates highlight the genre of a thriller. The close up silence on the crazed woman putting her finger to her lips is an inclination of what the movie is about and tells the audience that there is more of this to come. This as an opening sequence works well as although it is short, it satisfies the thriller criteria, shows what the film is about and creates queries about our two main characters. These queries become a huge rhetorical question as the film goes on.
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