The Silencing

I felt that a three-star rating would be too low, as I thoroughly enjoyed all that adrenaline-fueled running around the woods. Granted, I found out who the villain was sooner than the creators would have liked, but I’m an experienced couch detective, and besides, some of the evidence was very cogent. But not even that spoiled the good impression the film made on me, because it was intriguing to watch how the individual characters were gradually revealed and because Zahn McClarnon made an appearance. (26/11/2020)

Um thriller decente, ambientado nas sombrias montanhas do território indiano. Assassinatos de raparigas caçadas como animais selvagens, uma ambiciosa xerife e um protetor de reservas cuja filha desapareceu há anos... É suficientemente suspenso, mas o enredo segue o esquema clássico do género com apenas pequenos melhoramentos. Nestes bosques, oWind River é incomparável. (13/10/2020)

The film has the promising casting of the likeable Nikolaj Coster-Waldau and the adorable sheriff Annabelle Wallis as they search for a serial killer, but they only clash twice and the action around them is very uninteresting. There is virtually no gore, no suspense at all, I kind of don't know what this film was supposed to give me, apart from fine actors and a promising premise it filled me with almost nothing. I was expecting a bigger experience. Story***, Action>No, Humor>No, Violence*, Entertainment***, Music***, Visual***, Atmosphere***, Suspense**. 5/10. (20/07/2020)

Above-par for the standards of its genre. What I appreciate the most are the carefully developed relationships between the characters, which are meaningfully portrayed and at least in one moment they produce a pleasant screenwriting surprise. I have a weak spot for the bleakness of Nordic forests, and Nikolai is great, a bloke who overgrows this small production. It’s a pity that at times it’s missing a dose of realism, that the sheriff was insufficiently used considering her potential, and that the reveal of the killer was the result of pure chance, though at the right time. There are many good things about The Silencing, but with a bit more effort it could have been a little better. 70% (27/12/2020)

I admit, I didn’t expect much from The Silencing, and the local reviews don’t offer any dazzling ratings either. But in the end, it’s a solid entry into the crime genre with plenty to offer! The setting in the remote Canadian woods, where even a dog won’t bark at you, adds the right atmosphere. Coster-Waldau delivers another stellar performance, and Annabelle Wallis, as the sheriff, also provides a decent performance. I liked how the creators hinted at various details throughout that all came together at the end like a complete puzzle. The film offers plenty of moments filled with tension (the chases in the woods are excellent!), emotions, and even surprising twists in the detective genre, with at least two of them being real surprises. Overall, it doesn’t quite match Wind River, but I feel that every filmmaker would want to create a film of a similar quality to The Silencing. Solid craftsmanship all around. For me, 7.5/10. (17/08/2021)