What better way to start off a new film-going-year than to see the great Martin Scorsese’s latest movie? Whilst each one of his releases is still an event, he does seem to be given a free pass by critics, when his last great film (Casino) was more than 20 years ago. If you compare that to his contemporary, Woody Allen, a man who is routinely derided, but someone who has a produced a handful of films better than anything that Scorsese has given us over the last two decades, it does seem odd. Maybe it is because of his important work in restoring classic films or because he talks so engagingly on movies – his documentary A Personal Journey with Martin Scorsese Through American Movies is truly outstanding.
But, having said all that, there I was still eagerly anticipating Silence. Set in the Seventeenth century, two Jesuit priests travel from Europe to Japan to locate their mentor and predecessor, after word reaches the church he has abandoned his faith. The film is visually stunning, with cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto doing a fine job alongside Scorsese. All in all it is technically impressive and the story is never less than interesting, if not exactly gripping.
However, it does have the same faults as the director’s previous, but very different film, The Wolf of Wall Street. At 2 hours 40 minutes it is over indulgently long, leading to some repetition in the narrative. It also seems too sympathetic with its lead characters and unquestioning of their mission. It is true that the Japanese inflicted terrible punishments on the priests that went there, but I find it hard to understand why anyone wants to impose their religion on someone else, and the Catholic church were using the same tactics in other parts of the world.
As the two main protagonists, Andrew Garfield is okay and Adam Driver more believable. The acting honours really go to Issey Ogata as the smiling but terrifying inquisitor. In fact all of the Japanese cast are good despite them speaking most of their dialogue in English.
So, is it time to accept that we have seen the last great Scorsese movie? Well, having had a look at his next project, ‘The Irishman’, I’m not saying that yet. A mob drama starring De Niro, Pacino, Keitel, Pesci, and Bobby Cannavale. That really looks like him returning to what he does best.
Rating: 6.5 out of 10