Review of Silence (2017) by Matt B — 27 May 2017

Silence is a passion project of one of America's greatest directors that was criminally under appreciated at the Academy's. The film is 3 hours long, which can have a drawing effect on the viewer, but the exhaustion is all part of the brilliant effect of the movie, since it winds you up taught for the big moments in the film.

And those big moments are spectacular. The visually awe you, and then the delivery of each moment by the cast resonates within the viewer. Garfield, in particular, is excellent as the main character. The viewer becomes a part of his arc in the story.

As Garfield begins to understand his surroundings, the viewer learns about Scorsese's struggles of faith (and might even be tempted to explore their own struggles.) As a Catholic, this movie had special significance to me, but I would still recommend it to anyone regardless of faith.

The cinematography and direction is excellent. Andrew Garfield and Yosuke Kobozuka deliver strong performances, and while Driver and Neeson are solid at best, the ensemble performances are very striking.

The movie's beauty lies in its nuance and subtlety. One of the greatest films I have ever seen.