Silence

A colossal, overlong bore, Silence follows a pair of 17th-century Jesuit priests (Andrew Garfield’s Rodrigues and Adam Driver’s Garrpe) as they travel to Japan to locate their missing mentor (Liam Neeson’s Ferreira). It’s a fairly simple setup that’s employed to punishingly deliberate effect by director Martin Scorsese, as the filmmaker, along with cowriter Jay Cocks, delivers an excessively slow-moving narrative that’s almost entirely lacking in forward momentum – with the movie, for the most part, consisting of one padded-out, repetitive sequence after another. Scorsese proves hopelessly unable to transform the characters, especially Garfield’s protagonist, into wholeheartedly compelling, sympathetic figures, which ensures that one’s ongoing efforts at working up any interest in their lackadaisical exploits and mostly internal struggles fall completely flat. It’s clear, too, that Scorsese’s less-than-subtle modus operandi drains the proceedings of any impact that it might’ve possessed, while the pervasively uninvolving atmosphere is unquestionably compounded by dialogue that’s obscured on a distressingly frequent basis (either by impenetrably heavy accents or Scorsese’s illogical decision to have his actors speak in hushed whispers). And while the movie does boast a very small handful of engaging, electrifying sequences – eg Christians are rooted out and executed in a small village – Silence is a static and often interminable drama that consistently demonstrates Scorsese’s apparent disdain towards his audience (ie it’s an exceedingly handsome production, yes, but where is the entertainment value, exactly?)

* out of ****