The Silencing - Tod in den Wäldern

'The Silencing' had all the things I love in a film. It had unexpected moments sprinkled throughout, a lead character I liked and wanted to be alright in the end, a whodunnit element and some twists. What more could you ask for from a thriller? This was the type of movie that was coming out every week back in the 90s, and they were all great, yet these days you're lucky if you get one every couple of months and they're not usually as good as they used to be. So when I come across one as well done as this film was it is a rare treat.

Nikolaj Coster-Waldau from 'Game of Thrones' plays the lead role, and he was a remarkably good lead-man. Not only is he naturally likeable but he is also very easy to sympathise with. His character has had something awful happen to him and so he has become an alcohol and can be quite unpleasant to his ex-wife's husband for example. Sometimes these characters can be very hard to get onboard with if they're played by the wrong actor, but in this case I was happy to look past his flaws and get on-side with him.

As mentioned earlier I really like a good whodunnit. They're incredibly out of fashion these days unfortunately, but 'The Silencing' is a great reminder of how well they can work in cinema. I really enjoyed this movie and would highly recommend people give it a watch.

Solid 6 star film. Not great not terrible. Dragged a little here and there but was still watchable.

First of all comparing this to Wind River is not a useful critique. Wind River addresses the high rate at which Indigenous Women in North America/Canada go missing around exploratory mining sites.

This movie was a look at individuals who are flawed and who eek out their own idea of justice, to exact revenge or protect others. It's not a box office hit but it is underrated.

After 20 mins I forgot all about Jamie Lannister and Grace Shelby.

I recommend watching, if you enjoy story telling and can put away preconceptions.

You can definitely tell the writer and the director were heavily influenced from the True detective series for this particular film which is a good thing imo. The visual style, thematics, and plotting aspects are executed in similar fashion as the show. The overall story is relatively run of the mill as far as the murder mystery, and seeking revenge in tracking down the killer. Still it stays interesting enough and never gets too stale with enough intensity and suspense to keep attention. The actors are all decent and keep a level of intrigue throughout. Also some very well done cinematography and fantastic scenery/settings. There are some moments that seem a tad cliché like a big reveal towards the end, but overall it does what it needs to as a basic thriller.

Decent directing, excellent cinematography, but the writing needed more "oomph" and a more cohesive plot with less plot holes and technical issues. A good watch, but nothing spectacular. Would've been better as a short film, as the 93 min runtime with the slow pacing made this film feel much longer.