Not quite the Last Temptation

Rating: 7/10 (24 November 2019)

For anyone that doesn't know, Silence looks at the struggle of Christian missionaries in 17th Century Japan and the actions of Japanese officialdom to root out the foreign religion. The film is seen primarily through the eyes of Rodriguez (everybody's favorite Catholic Andrew Garfield), who undergoes repeated crises of faith when he is asked to renounce his God with the threat of having his followers tortured.
It's a story with a lot of potential and to be sure there are several interesting moments (especially when the characters discuss the relevance of Christianity in Japanese culture) and some terrific shoreline imagery, but I didn't feel as successfully involved with it. While it may be historically true I felt the Japanese officials were came across as caricature villains - it didn't help that Issey Ogata as the Inoue (governor?) sounded like a cross between Kenneth Williams of the Carry On series and Yoda. Also, Rodriguez's visions and messages from Jesus were very on-the-nose and cheapened the experience for me.
So I think I'll stick with Last Temptation of Christ, so far as Marty's religious filmography goes.