“Silence” Movie Review
Martin Scorsese continues to be a director that tests boundaries and revolutionize cinema. He’s like Quentin Tarantino where anything he creates is a must-see. Between “Goodfellas”, “Raging Bull”, and “The Departed”, Scorsese is largely considered to be the greatest filmmaker ever. For his next movie, “Silence”, we see the same beauty and effort that he puts into everything he does.
“Silence” follows two Christian missionaries who have their faith tested when traveling to Japan in search of their mentor, Father Ferrera (Liam Neeson). The missionaries are played by Adam Driver and Andrew Garfield. In Japan, Christianity has been outlawed causing issues for the missionaries main goal.
To be completely honest, this is only the second movie that I’ve seen by Scorsese. Unless you live under a rock though, you would know that every movie he puts out is top notch. “Silence” is no different. Compared to “The Wolf of Wall Street”, the subtly in this movie is what made the story so effective. Although there really wasn’t a score, the intensity that was built from his camera work was quite creative.
Not many directors can do what Scorsese did. First of all, he puts out a film that had no advertising whatsoever. Then, there are barely any posters or trailers for it. Finally, Scorsese quietly releases it. In my opinion, this would have been a boring movie if it wasn’t for the direction. For its two hour and forty minute running time, Scorsese intensifies the plot with the subtle “out of nowhere” violence. A lot of the disturbing scenes are unexpected which creates a real genuine feeling.
It’s truly remarkable how someone can make a religious film so impactful. After seeing “Hacksaw Ridge”, and now this, Andrew Garfield had a much better performance in “Silence.” It’s too bad that this film isn’t getting any Oscar attention because Garfield deserves a nomination for this character. The progression of him as a missionary was a spectacle to watch. Although the film was set in the 1600s, we see a good deal of realism in his character in the sense that you understand why he may have his doubts at points. The little time that Liam Neeson was in the movie also was more impactful than you think, especially on the main characters.
With no hype at all for this film, it makes it sweeter when the movie is a masterpiece. Although this was a whole different route for Scorsese, he still uses his technical ability to the best that he can. What this seems like to me is, Martin has been waiting forever to make something like this, and he doesn’t really care if people like it. With all of the greatness that he has created, this was definitely his passion project.
If I had to pick one issue with the film, I would just say that Driver’s character was a little under developed. I wasn’t emotionally attached to him as much as I was with Garfield.
It’s too bad that the producers didn’t hype up this movie. It could have been nominated for multiple Oscars. What makes Scorsese so great though is, he doesn’t care. He wants people to come to his movies without being forced. “Silence” wasn’t just a great movie; it was a reminder of why we need directors like him still. His creative ability will continue to inspire up and coming filmmakers for years to come.
