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Silence

Play trailer 2:13 Poster for Silence R Released Jan 13, 2017 2h 41m History Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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83% Tomatometer 288 Reviews 70% Popcornmeter 25,000+ Ratings
Two 17th-century Portuguese missionaries, Father Sebastian Rodrigues (Andrew Garfield) and Father Francisco Garupe (Adam Driver), embark on a perilous journey to Japan to find their missing mentor (Liam Neeson). While there, the two men minister to the Christian villagers who worship in secret. If caught by feudal lords or ruling samurai, they must renounce their faith or face a prolonged and agonizing death.
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Silence

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Critics Consensus

Silence ends Martin Scorsese's decades-long creative quest with a thoughtful, emotionally resonant look at spirituality and human nature that stands among the director's finest works.

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Critics Reviews

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Wenlei Ma News.com.au While it is certainly more like an endurance race than a stroll through the park, there is something redeeming in its cinematic beauty. Rated: 3/5 Feb 15, 2017 Full Review Claudia Puig The Asahi Shimbun GLOBE (Japan) While the craftsmanship is undeniable and the themes of spiritual belief, betrayal and redemption are laudable, the film feels flat and not as emotional or moving as it should be. Rated: 2.5/4 Feb 2, 2017 Full Review Amy Nicholson MTV Scorsese doesn't glorify martyrdom, and he doesn't even hate the killers. He makes death as blunt and dull and useless as a snapped pencil. The point is that there is no point. Rated: B+ Jan 13, 2017 Full Review Don Shanahan Every Movie Has a Lesson It is an agonizing personal test for an audience, just the same as it is for the characters on screen. This will either be a soul-rattling testament or maddening torture. Rated: 3/5 Jul 28, 2025 Full Review Mike Thorn Vague Visages Rodrigues commits to the preservation of his Christianity, refusing to apostatize no matter what the consequences might be. Dec 12, 2023 Full Review Erica Peplin Vague Visages For all its violence and grandiosity, it stands as an impressively filmed indictment against religious persecution. Dec 5, 2023 Full Review Read all reviews

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HameZz Z Very contemplative movie. Will need to rewatch again. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 08/24/25 Full Review Anton P It saddens me how this movie ends. It’s dramatic, cinematic, and very raw & based on a true story. Despite of that, the premise is completely wrong. Anyone who has read through the New Testament can see that this film is completely, 100% wrong on its premise of the price for rejecting Jesus- the movie even stating that Jesus approves of it. It makes Christ seem as nothing, to suffer for Him as an inconvenience and love this earthly life. An honest read of the New Testament shows that to suffer for Him results in Heavenly reward & favor from Him. A sad story and unfortunately completely off the mark about the true Christian faith. Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 08/17/25 Full Review Johannes S Gorgeous movie and one of those, where you sit still for minutes after it ends. The natural sounds are powerfully used. The torture scenes are gutwrenching. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 08/12/25 Full Review Charles S Figured this would be interesting due to the actors and after seeing Shogun, but there's no real nuance to the characters as written, or moral to the story. Just a couple (mostly well-acted) priests questioning their faith, and peasants being persecuted for yearning after paradiso. Maybe martyrdom can always be food for thought, or a vent for compassion, but again it's just so cartoonishly evil I struggled feeling anything for actions so unnatural Rated 3 out of 5 stars 07/07/25 Full Review Kevin P A harrowingly tense and devastating deconstruction of martyrdom and missionary work that questions the benefits of conversion in a state that only leads to suffering. The miserable tone is contrasted with such beautiful stunning lighting and landscape vistas. Excellent performances from Andrew Garfield, Adam Driver, and Liam Neeson. The movie has thought provoking themes that question faith vs brutal persecution vs colonialism, and what decisions we make to survive it all. It really sticks with you well after the end credits. Especially with the nuanced portrayal of religious persecution where the torture & murder against one's own people is clearly horrific and evil, but the methods behind it are merely fear from the global European colonial powers trying to carve up the rest of the world and impose their own doctrine by any means necessary. The 3 Portuguese missionary characters may be kindhearted pacifists who genuinely want to spread their faith, but what about their predecessors or institutional colleagues when they first colonized the New World? Or maintained their own purity during the Spanish Inquisition? Their own cowardice to let their followers suffer in a vain attempt to maintain their public image as faithful? Is it worth it? Where do you draw the line? Especially while 2 religious fundamentalist institutions escalate with their brutality to cling to people's faith as if it were a quantifiable resource for power, whether they know it or not. It's a tough watch about the test of faith, but it's such an emotionally powerful film that will stick with you in the years to come. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 04/23/25 Full Review thiago s Filme ruim, o roteiro é fraco, o filme trouxe muitas cenas de dialogo e quase nada de ação e de outro tipo, por praticamente 2 horas e 40 minutos e isso deixou o filme fraco, os personagens são fracos, a história é ruim, e o resto do elenco não ajuda em porra nenhuma, e eu não recomendo esse filme. Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 03/03/25 Full Review Read all reviews
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Movie Info

Synopsis Two 17th-century Portuguese missionaries, Father Sebastian Rodrigues (Andrew Garfield) and Father Francisco Garupe (Adam Driver), embark on a perilous journey to Japan to find their missing mentor (Liam Neeson). While there, the two men minister to the Christian villagers who worship in secret. If caught by feudal lords or ruling samurai, they must renounce their faith or face a prolonged and agonizing death.
Director
Martin Scorsese
Producer
Martin Scorsese, Emma Tillinger Koskoff, Randall Emmett, Barbara De Fina, Gastón Pavlovich, Irwin Winkler, Vittorio Cecchi Gori
Screenwriter
Martin Scorsese, Jay Cocks
Distributor
Paramount Pictures
Production Co
Sharpsword Films, G&G, Sikelia, YLK, EFO Films, Catchplay
Rating
R (Disturbing Violent Content)
Genre
History, Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Jan 13, 2017, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Mar 14, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA)
$7.1M
Runtime
2h 41m
Aspect Ratio
Scope (2.35:1)
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