Silence - Movie Review

Silence

Review by Ryan Davidson

Score: 9/10

This was one of the most unappreciated films of 2016 (Yes, it came out, in wide release, in 2017, but I saw it in 2016). I get it, it's long and it's slow. Coming in at 2 hours and 45 minutes, it's not an easy film to handle. In my opinion, however, this is one of Martin Scorsese's best films. This is a masterclass of direction, and Scorsese kills it. Andrew Garfield is also amazing in this movie, as he plays a Jesuit priest who goes on a deadly mission trip to Japan in search for his mentor, who is rumored to have apostatized (Which means to denounce faith). He's joined by Adam Driver, who is also great in the movie. The cast is well-rounded, and some of the most interesting characters in the entire movie are actually Japanese characters that you meet along the way. The cinematography is outstanding, and full of beautiful nature shots. Some of the negatives I had with the film are its' slow pace, and inconsistency with some of the acting. The movie is 2 hours and 45 minutes long and it feels every bit that long thanks to the very slow pace. It's at least very consistent in its' pace, but this is what turned off most people from the start. It wasn't a turn off for me, simply because I was engaged in the subject matter and script the entire time. Some of the actors, including Garfield and Driver, struggled to consistently keep their Portuguese accents throughout the movie, not to mention they weren't even great accents to begin with. All in all, this is one of the most well made films of the past few years, and I believe it should get credit as such.