Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
Andrew Garfield | ... | Rodrigues | |
Adam Driver | ... | Garupe | |
Liam Neeson | ... | Ferreira | |
Tadanobu Asano | ... | Interpreter | |
Ciarán Hinds | ... | Father Valignano | |
Issei Ogata | ... | Old Samurai / Inoue (as Issey Ogata) | |
Shin'ya Tsukamoto | ... | Mokichi | |
Yoshi Oida | ... | Ichizo | |
Yôsuke Kubozuka | ... | Kichijiro (as Yosuke Kubozuka) | |
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Kaoru Endô | ... | Unzen Samurai (Uneme) |
Diego Calderón | ... | Prisoner Augustinian Friar #2 (as Diego Calderon) | |
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Rafael Kading | ... | Prisoner Augustinian Friar #1 |
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Matthew Blake | ... | Prisoner Franciscan Friar |
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Benoit Masse | ... | Prisoner Augustinian Friar #3 |
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Tetsuya Igawa | ... | Prisoner Japanese Jesuit |
Intent on investigating the truth behind Father Cristovão Ferreira's abrupt end of correspondence, the devout Portuguese Catholic priests, Sebastião Rodrigues and Francisco Garupe, set off to Japan, in 1633. In great disbelief, as the rumours of Ferreira's apostasy still echo in their minds, the zealous Jesuit missionaries try to locate their mentor, amid the bloodshed of the violent anti-Christian purges. Under those circumstances, the two men and the Japanese guide, Kichijiro, arrive in Japan, only to witness firsthand the unbearable burden of those who have a different belief in a land founded on tradition. Now--as the powerful Grand Inquisitor, Inoue, performs hideous tortures on the brave Japanese Christians--Father Rodrigues will soon have to put his faith to the ultimate test: renounce it in exchange for the prisoners' lives. There, in the ends of the world, a subtle change has begun; however, why is God's silence so deafening? Written by Nick Riganas
Far superior to his belly flop Kundun (& less sanctimonius), Silence is a confession by Scorsese that despite working in the trenches of secular hollywood, Scorsese will one day die clutching a tiny crucifix in his palm. A must watch film which will be misunderstood by liberals and misused by conservatives, this is quite possibly Scorsese at his least pretentious.
How does it stack up against his other work? Whilst the Last Temptation was a shallow comic book adaptation of a great novel, this is a more mature rendering of the burden of faith. Is it as good as Goodfellas (still his best) - nope, but it is better than the over processed Casino, or the dead-because-it-should've-been-a-documentary Gangs of New York (which was clunky and sloppy).
Can't say enough about the cast. Excellent work that they should all be looking back with pride on for years to come.