Review of Silence (2017) by Ben B — 31 Jan 2017

Silence is the passion project of filmmaker Martin Scorsese (The Departed, Wolf of Wall Street) and stars Andrew Garfield (The Social Network, Hacksaw Ridge) and Adam Driver (Star Wars: The Force Awakens) as two Jesuit priests who embark on a journey to Japan when they hear a rumor that their mentor and fellow priest, played by Liam Neeson (Schindler's List, Taken), has publicly denounced his Christian faith. Japanese Christians are also under persecution from a samurai known as "The Inquisitor," who believes Buddhism to be the one true religion.

Scorsese has been one of the best filmmakers for the better part of the past 40 years, and he finally decided that he was ready to create the movie he's wanted to make since the 90's. Hooboy, it was WELL worth the wait. Silence is a gorgeous movie full of some really thought-provoking themes. I walked out of the theater with my friend and told him "I feel like my soul just got kicked in the groin." The religious story and themes just keep beating you down into the ground, really pushing you to think critically about what religion means to you whether you believe in something or don't. While the beginning of the movie moves quite slowly, it goes from 0 to 100 in no time, throwing Garfield and Driver into increasingly difficult situations. While Neeson and Driver deliver good performances in smaller roles, this movie is a vehicle for Andrew Garfield to show his stuff, and he brings it. I liked him in The Social Network but felt that it was a fluke after seeing him struggle through 2 Spider-Man movies, but with Silence and Hacksaw Ridge in 2016, Garfield has proven to be worthy of landing such big roles. The supporting Japanese characters are solid as well, especially The Inquisitor.

Not only does this movie offer a lot to think about, but it offers a lot to look at as well. Silence is brilliantly shot, every angle placed with such intent and precision. Although the movie is nearly 3 hours long and doesn't include a film score, it feels reasonably quick thanks to Scorsese's longtime film editor, Thelma Schoonmaker.

In the end, Silence stands firm as a worthy entry in an iconic filmography thanks to its thought-provoking themes, great performances, and careful camerawork. If you have the patience to undergo watching this movie, you won't be disappointed, no matter what your beliefs are.

Final grade: A+.