The Silencing

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.

Everything about this movie is "okay". The story, the characters, etc. are all okay. None of it is bad. But none of it is fantastic either. It does the bare minimum a good movie should do. Good acting. Good writing. Good pacing. Good filming. Good editing. From a technical, movie 101 perspective, everything is textbook and it doesn't make any huge mistakes.

However, where the movie prevents itself from being very good, is in the following two things:

1. Ruins one very good opportunity and turns it into a pointless plot device. Midway through, a discovery is made which raises the stakes tremendously. From that point, the film could have done something very good. But in the end it's rendered useless as the plot jumps onto something else. And the villain emerges with very unconvincing motive.

2. It's a carbon-copy of a much better movie called Wind River (2017). I couldn't help but notice the similar look/feel within the first few minutes. The setting, the music and how the story opens was very similar. And much to my disappointment, the borrowing of ideas didn't stop there. The rest of the movie is practically the same. So if I could recommend one thing, is to go and watch the that other movie (Wind River) instead. Wind River is everything that this movie wishes it could be. In every department, that movie is fantastic.

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.

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.

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