Review by John Delia
A compelling mystery The Silencing involves a serial killer and a father who has a missing teen. The movie takes you into the mind of the father as he tries to run down the killer with more teens go missing in the surrounding area. If you like films that challenge your mind to solve a crime, this one is very good. If you are an ardent fan of Cable channel ID Investigation Discovery however, you may have a problem with déjà vu.
In this fast moving film, Rayburn “Ray†Swanson (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) is a Ranger for a 50 mile conservation park who has never come to terms about not finding Gwen (Brielle Robillard) his missing daughter. His wife Debbie (Melanie Scrofano) has left him over the continued searching and with 5 years passed since the incident wants to give her daughter a posthumous burial.
In the meantime, Echo Falls Sheriff Alice Gustafson (Annabelle Wallis) has only been in office for a few months and being adjacent to an Indian Reservation hasn’t helped her job any. With differences of opinion on how she is running the town it’s an uphill battle to keep her job. Opposing her is reservation cop Carl Blackhawk (Zahn McClarnon). To add more to her troubles another girl has been found murdered inside the conservation park. With only an arrowhead to go on found by the body, Alice will have to work with Carl and Ray.
As the investigation starts to get complicated, the three take a stand when a strange creature starts taking aim at them in the forest. Director Robin Pront does a good job bringing the film to the screen feeding her audience bits at a time and keeping them compelled. As she starts to unveil the mystery surround the killings of the women, the violence gets turned up a few more notches and all that seems to be is not what you thought.
The acting is very good with Nikolaj Coster-Waldau in the lead role as Ray the ex-husband looking for answers as to why his 14-year-old disappeared without a trace. Choosing alcohol to drown his anxiety, he becomes incessant that a serial killer is part of the reason why she became missing. Getting deeper in depression, he becomes obsessed with looking into the recent killing of a teen. You may recognize Nikolaj as he played Jamie Lannister in HBO’s Game of Thrones for 55 episodes.
As Alice the tough Police Chief, Annabelle Wallis puts on a good show dealing with recent killings and Ray who’a determined to get to the bottom of his missing daughter. When Ray gets attacked on the conservation area, she has to bring him and Carl Blackhawk into the mix to help with the investigation. Known for her performances in Annabelle and Tag, it’s no wonder she nails this role.
The Silencing has been rated R by the MPAA for violence, some disturbing images, and language. There is also a few bloody scenes and some brutality. Check local theaters first before choosing VOD or Digital platforms.
FINAL ANALYSIS: A good film for action mystery fans. (3.5 out of 5 stars)
Additional Film Information:
Cast: Annabelle Wallis, Hero Fiennes Tiffin, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Shaun Smyth as Dr. Boone, Melanie Scrofano, Zahn McClarnon
Directed by: Robin Pront
Genre: Action, Crime, Thriller
MPAA Rating: R for violence, some disturbing images, and language
Running Time: 1 hr. 33 min.
Opening Date: August 14, 2020
Distributed by: Saban Films
Released in: Digital, VOD and Theaters (check local listings)