>BUT the movie proceeds to pay EVERYTHING off with the
>exception of one small spoiler that's funny in hindsight
>because you expect it to be something but it's not at all
>which was actually a good choice.

Are you referring to the random dude who is on the island who pops in several times throughout the movie? Norton's character mentions during the dinner that he placed clues around the island, some valuable, some red herrings, so at the end of the movie I took it as a meta comment on the movie itself. I noticed a few other red herrings as well. Batista's character bumps into someone when he turns around and in hindsight you figure "ah, that's where he got his gun stolen" but when they replay the scene later in the movie the gun is still in his holster.