Dead Silence - Ostaggi del silenzio

I have always been a huge fan of James Garner. His movie work at times has been as good as his "Rockford Files" TV show, and this is one of the best examples. I was not familiar with the novel by Deaver on which it is based, but I will say that the story does not disappoint. The actors are all excellent, and there is a good deal of suspense. I disagree with some other reviews here on Garner's performance, as I bought the DVD largely because of his role. Another good movie he did near the same time was "Fire In The Sky", which fans should also check out. This movie was filmed in Canada, near where I live, and you can somehow always tell a Canadian production just by the look. Perhaps the portrayal of America never feels quite genuine.

I think Dead Silence is a better story, then the book ( A maiden's Grave ) on which it was based. This is rare indeed, for usually a story looses depth, when it is turned into a movie. In this case, the plot is more compact, with less unnecessary details, which contributes to the tension.

"Dead Silence" has a real grabber of an opening, and rarely lets up thereafter. The hostage drama plays out in a somewhat logical manner, until the end, where credibility gets stretched to the max. It is interesting to see the way James Garner manipulates the situation to his advantage, only to have the whole thing unraveled by what appears to be nothing more than a tacked on ending. Nevertheless the film delivers a lot of tense moments, and is entertaining, despite the rush to a rather unbelievable conclusion. The movie is well acted, and the on location photography is acceptable. I recommend seeking this one out. - MERK

Pretty good Matlock'ish movie. James Garner is a missed gem. Awesome to also see Scott Speedman in a very early role prior to Underworld. Nice twist at the end!

Exciting film dealing with a hostage rescue unit of the FBI. They must try to talk a deranged convict and his buddies out of killing a group of young kids held in an abandoned slaughter house. Things go about as expected until the last 20 minutes when a surprise is thrown in which spices up an otherwise routine suspense picture.