book lovers dreaming of what could have been...

Rating: 6/10 (3 January 2017)

Having read the book I was full of anticipation for this movie for years. I had high hopes that Scorsese could bring the story to the big screen in his own way- creating a soaring epic with the Scorsese touch shown time and time again.
However, what we are left with is a trudging story with wasted characters and unwarranted comedy in patches. Kichijiro is a tormented soul in the book and his behaviour of repeatedly asking for forgiveness is pathetic yet we pity him. It played out in the theatre like he was a comedy cameo, with the audience even sighing on his final appearance.
The original casting of Del Toro, Day-Lewis and Gael Garcia Bernal had me salivating as the prospect of this story. However seeing the direction Scorsese took with this film I am glad the cast changed. Parts of the movie felt like I was watching a bad audio book come to life, audiences are getting wiser and I see no need in having to make everything black and white. Where is the ambiguity I yearn for? I admit that there is a bit of that towards the end and we can conclude our own opinions about the faith of our leading characters and why they make the decisions they make. But this left me wanting so much more! Adam Driver was good as Garpe, but underused and his death scene on the beach was a wasted opportunity for real beauty and tragedy. The extras were pulling ridiculous faces of menace that distracted from Garfield's attempts to draw us in and give us true emotion. He did a fine job, but those around him did him no favours. In the book his head 'bobbing up and down in the water, drifting further and further away' stung my heart. Here I wanted Garfield to be alone on his knees watching his friend floating in the distance. The way Garpe died was very confusing and even if it is the case with the book the movie could have tidied it up a bit and chose not to.
Liam Neeson was a fine Ferrara, but again was left to struggle with a labouring script and lack of depth. An interesting moment when he examined a shipped product and declared it 'non Christian' just for Rodrigues to discover it was a Christian product moments later. Was he revealing his regret in this moment? trying to salvage his faith and sneak Christianity into Japan? Even after his speeches to Rodrigues about Japan never being changed? Whatever it was... didn't really fit the moment. A strange attempt to add some subtext to Ferrara.
Some of the editing was really poor, it was clear to me in several places they had placed audio over the top when characters mouths weren't moving. It happened several times with Garfield and I saw no sense in it, again Scorsese patronising the audience and adding more than is needed to paint a picture with what is happening on screen.
The torture scenes were mild, I was really looking forward to 'the pit'. I was left throughout thinking about 'The Passion of the Christ', I didn't expect it to be as brutal but I think Scorsese could have stretched the boundaries a little more here but maybe it would have meant an R (18+) rating rather than his very conservative 15 rating. Maybe it's a financial decision. Who cares.
Finally, the saving grace, Issei Ogata as the Inquisitor. A concrete performance full of life. He was funny, daring, intimidating and real. I think we could have seen more of him and maybe- just maybe- if the film focused more on the calculated manipulation of the Inquisitor, turning and twisting Rodrigues as he had to Ferrara, it could have been real battle of good vs evil. Ultimately, Silence is a grand film with excellent shots and a good heart but it's pace and story leave us feeling nothing for our central characters. I left the theatre in silence. Confused, underwhelmed silence.