Interesting and educational

Rating: 7/10 (22 August 2018)

Silence is a very unique and interesting examination of the history of Christian priests in Japan. The film is extremely long and at times the plot drags. The actors also add very little to their roles. Andrew Garfield does not feel comfortable in his role and Liam Neeson is given too little time to make an impression. However, the film is excellently made. There are some very moving scenes, that hang in the back of the viewers mind all through the film, particularly the crucifixion and drowning scenes. However, far too much of the film relies heavily on voice over narration, including the voice at the end who is not given an identity. The end of the film is very disappointing. After two hours of build up, Neeson and Garfield finally meet and in the end Garfield apostates and lives with the Japanese for the rest of his life. These scenes should be given more time as they are the most important part of the film. The final shot is also unnecessary as it is unlikely that Garfield would have been able to hideba cross for so many years. It destroys the whole films integrity and realism. This film is worth a watch as it is a completely different piece of work from Scorcese. However, in the end it prooves that he should stick to his usual works. It is still very interesting tough, but defnitey too long. 7/10