Silence

Martin Scorsese returns to his unofficial 'religious' strand of films with his latest; Silence. Clearly a massive passion project for the great Director, and in production hell for years, his adaptation of the 1966 novel finally comes to screens.

Set in 1600's Japan, where Christianity is outlawed on punishment of death, we focus on two young Priests smuggled into the country to find a former mentor thought lost.

It's a quiet (no pun intended) and slow film, spread richly over a hefty two and three quarter hours. Being Scorsese though, the run time flies by. Each detailed segment brings the characters closer to their fate and each ends with a gruesome set piece. Similarly to The Revenant this can't be labelled an easy watch as we sit front row on drowning by crucifixion, beheading and a awful form of torture dubbed 'The Pit.'

We follow Andrew Garfield's Father Rodrigues (curiously Portuguese but, thankfully, he doesn't put on an accent) in the main as Adam Driver's sidekick is unfortunately relegated to the sidelines but Garfield is a revelation here, an early shout for Oscar nomination. Running the gamut of emotions he's gripping throughout and compensates for the lack of scenes featuring Driver and the other top-billed star; Liam Neeson.

Scorsese's direction is legendary and has earned him the right to rest on his laurels but the fact he never does is why he's such a great. As always, the cinematography is picture-perfect here with postcard imagery, beautiful vistas and incredible shot-work. Everything feels spot on.

Unlike other so-called 'religious' movies this doesn't over-egg the pudding, instead just telling the story as it is. It has the feel of vintage film, a slow moving, conversation heavy, textbook picture.

It will strike some as a tad 'worthy' (take that as a positive or negative depending on your personal viewpoint) and is hardly an easy segue into the Scorsese body of work (and certainly not one for those who have only seen The Wolf Of Wall Street) but shot through with passion and love.

4 stars ****