From the first frame, I was utterly hooked to this movie. The ominous shot of the ship emerging from the fog sets the tone, and so does Teddy Daniels' introduction. In the first shot we see him in, he is already in an agitated state, trying to shake off a very bad feeling. Little does he know that it will only get worse and worse as his life and the movie proceeds. Everything and I do mean everything about every second of this movie exudes a feeling of dread, a nagging of uneasiness in the back of your head and very often, in your face. Scorsese puts every trick in his arsenal to use to make Teddy's and the viewer's life a hell. Within the first ten minutes I was already clutching my seat and holding my breath. The way the music swells up and the use of shots and cutaways whilst driving up to the institution in a jeep is nearly unbearable. This is a ****ed up movie, I had a knot in my stomach during nearly the entire running time. It was only during the final reveal (even though it is a life-shattering disaster to the protagonist) that I was able to relax, to let go of that feeling of uneasiness. The very last scene is oddly soothing. I would not call it a masterpiece, but it is definitely a masterwork of one of the greatest directors in the history of filmmaking. This one is chock-full of phenomenal shots, images, editing and acting.
) at some point in their life. 
