Silence (2016)

★ 7.1 2h 41m 3,277 votes IMDb

In the 17th century, two Portuguese Jesuit priests travel to Japan in an attempt to locate their mentor, who is rumored to have committed apostasy, and to propagate Catholicism.

Silence

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Cast

Andrew Garfield
Andrew Garfield as Rodrigues Age 42 · Los Angeles, California, USA Andrew Russell Garfield (born August 20, 1983) is an British-American actor and producer. He came to international attention when he co-starred in Never Let Me Go (2010) alongside Carey Mulligan and K...
Adam Driver
Adam Driver as Garupe Age 42 · San Diego, California, USA Adam Douglas Driver (born November 19, 1983) is an American actor. He is the recipient of various accolades, including the Venice Film Festival Volpi Cup for Best Actor, in addition to nominations for...
Liam Neeson
Liam Neeson as Ferreira Age 73 · Ballymena, County Antrim, Northern Ireland, UK Liam Neeson (born 7 June 1952) is an Irish actor. He was born in Ballymena, County Antrim, Northern Ireland and educated at Saint Patrick's College, Ballymena Technical College and Queen's University...
Tadanobu Asano
Tadanobu Asano as Interpreter Age 52 · Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan Tadanobu Asano, born Tadanobu Sato (born November 27, 1973) is a Japanese actor. He is known for his roles as Dragon Eye Morrison in Electric Dragon 80.000 V, Kakihara in Ichi the Killer, Mamoru Arita...
Ciarán Hinds
Ciarán Hinds as Father Valignano Age 73 · Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK Ciarán Hinds (/ˈkɪərən/ KEER-ən; born 9 February 1953) is an Irish actor from Belfast, Northern Ireland. Hinds is known for a range of screen and stage roles. He has starred in feature films including...
Issey Ogata
Issey Ogata as Old Samurai / Inoue Age 74 · Fukuoka, Japan From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Issey Ogata (born 22 February 1952 in Fukuoka, Fukuoka), is a Japanese actor and comedian. He was interested in plays since childhood. After he graduated from T...

Audience Reviews

Wuchak 4/10 Mar 17, 2024
**_Great filmmaking, cast and locations, but strangely inert (overlong) story_**

Released in late 2016 and directed by Martin Scorsese based on the novel by Shûsaku Endô, "Silence" chronicles events in 1640 when two Jesuit priests (Andrew Garfield & Adam Driver) journey to Japan to check on the persecuted church and find out what happened to their mentor, whom it is rumored fell from the faith (Liam Neeson). Issei Ogata is on hand as the sadistic, but seemingly reasonable Japanese inquisitor.

The Jesuits were a society of Catholic missionaries started in 1540 in response to the spreading evangelism of the Protestant reformers. They were an essential part of the Roman counter-Reformation. With this in mind, the seeming Christianity portrayed in the movie is decidedly Catholic in nature, with the requisite unbiblical stuff, like confessions to priests, icons, rosary beads, etc.

In tone and theme, "Silence" is reminiscent of movies like the excellent "Black Robe" (1991), the solid "The Mission" (1986) and the surprisingly great "Black Death" (see my review). There are also elements of "The Bridge on the River Kwai" (1957). If you appreciate any of these films you might appreciate "Silence," but it didn't work for me. Sure, Scorsese is a great auteur and so the filmmaking is top-of-the-line – the cinematography, the cast, the costuming, locations and score. Unfortunately, the story's not compelling and I never connected with the main character, despite Garfield's quality performance.

There's some worthy mindfood (or spiritfood) to glean from the proceedings, however, like: Why does God allow the excruciating persecution of His faithful? Why is He silent? IS He silent? Can a believer be restored after cowardly denying the Lord in the face of torture/death? Can a Christian hide their faith while living in a thoroughly hostile culture? But I didn't buy for a second that the Japanese couldn't conceive of a Deity that transcends physical nature, like the sun, sea or mountain. While the idea may have been alien to their communal mindset at the time, it's absurd to think that no individual man or woman could discern the obvious (see Psalm 19:1 & Romans 1:20).

Although I'm sorta glad I saw it, "Silence" is curiously dull and overlong; and so I never care to see it again. There are far superior movies that tackle similar topics. Those who give it the highest possible rating must be fanatical devotees of Scorsese.

The movie runs 161 minutes and was shot in Taiwan and the Cathedral Of Saint Paul In Macau, China.

GRADE: C-

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