The Silencing (2020) Movie Review

Rayburn Swanson is a not-quite-grizzled sort-of warden who oversees a wildlife sanctuary named after his daughter who disappeared five years prior, only in her teens. Rayburn is still printing and posting missing person fliers for his daughter. After kicking off a would-be poacher, one red-bearded man calls him "a goddamn tree hugger."

Belgian director Robin Pront seems to understand life in the United States as he names the sanctuary after a missing local citizen only five years after her disappearance. However, screenwriter Micah Ranum appears to be from the United States. Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, a Danish actor, portrays Rayburn, giving off strong beardo Aaron Eckhart vibes. Rayburn is a bereft former hunter who gave up killing animals for taking care of them because of his daughter's disapproval. He drinks too much, as expected. The surrounding area also has a Tribal Police Force, and the non-tribal police force is headed by a Compassionate Female Cop, Alice, played by Annabelle Wallis. Her dirtbag druggy younger brother, played by Hero Fiennes Tiffin, is someone she looks out for maybe a little too caringly. When a dead body turns up, suspicions arise that a serial killer is loose, and that killer might have gotten Rayburn's girl years ago.

Unfortunately, the plot is predictable, and the dialogue is clichéd. The movie uses phrases like "Out here that badge don't mean shit, lady," which does not bring anything new to the table. Despite this, Pront shoots and stages everything with slick facility, and the actors put their back into playing gruff rural 'Muricans, or maybe Canadians. However, one feels they've seen all this before.

The Silencing does indeed put something new on the table by introducing a killer dressed in a costume that looks like an overgrown Muppet or maybe that Easter mascot from Toni Erdmann. It is big, furry, and must be hard to get around in, although the movie does not adhere to real-life physics, and whoever is inside the costume has no problem running like hell or executing tricky knife maneuvers.

Alice, the Compassionate Female Cop, is thoroughly unethical, making it impossible to maintain a rooting interest in her, even though the movie insists you ought to. It is unclear why European filmmakers always want to make pictures in North America, and it seems that it is always some gritty backwoods blood-drenched drama or thriller. Similarly, young actors like the Fiennes fella want to play black-eyed scruffy snotty miscreants. Is this some wayward pursuit of a kind of authenticity? Ultimately, no matter how much competence is brought to bear on such exercises, it is tiresome.

In conclusion, "The Silencing" is a competent but ultimately tiresome thriller that adheres closely to genre conventions. Despite slick direction and committed performances from its cast, the film fails to bring anything truly new to the table beyond a killer in a furry costume. Additionally, the portrayal of the main female character as thoroughly unethical makes it difficult to root for her, despite the movie's insistence that she is the hero. Overall, while the film may be a passable way to spend an hour and a half for those who enjoy thrillers, it ultimately feels like a missed opportunity to do something more interesting and original with its premise.