"Silent Fall" focuses on a psychologist (Richard Dreyfuss) attempting to unravel the double murder of a husband and a wife. Their young, nonverbal autistic son is the only potential witness.
This sometimes clunky psychological thriller is relayed in the way of a number of mid-'90s thrillers, but to often lesser effect. The script suffers from unrealistic, talky dialogue, and the plot is fairly routine, even for the era in which it was made. While these lesser elements do detract from what the film could have been, it does benefit from a significant lush, chilly autumn atmosphere, and the Halloweentime atmosphere is laid on thick.
The performances here range from serviceable to middling at best, though it is at times difficult to discern whether or not the script is at fault. Dreyfuss handles the material the best he can, while Linda Hamilton unfortunately comes across as wooden and unbelievable. Liv Tyler, in her screen debut here as the autistic boy's protective older sister, gives a decent performance for an inexperienced actress.
The film's final reveal is grotesque if not particularly shocking, but serves as a fitting conclusion to the proceedings. All in all, "Silent Fall" is a middling (at best) psychological thriller. It suffers from a clunky screenplay and trite dialogue, though it is worth viewing for its stark autumnal atmosphere and cinematography. A visual treat; a narrative, perhaps not so much. 6/10.
This sometimes clunky psychological thriller is relayed in the way of a number of mid-'90s thrillers, but to often lesser effect. The script suffers from unrealistic, talky dialogue, and the plot is fairly routine, even for the era in which it was made. While these lesser elements do detract from what the film could have been, it does benefit from a significant lush, chilly autumn atmosphere, and the Halloweentime atmosphere is laid on thick.
The performances here range from serviceable to middling at best, though it is at times difficult to discern whether or not the script is at fault. Dreyfuss handles the material the best he can, while Linda Hamilton unfortunately comes across as wooden and unbelievable. Liv Tyler, in her screen debut here as the autistic boy's protective older sister, gives a decent performance for an inexperienced actress.
The film's final reveal is grotesque if not particularly shocking, but serves as a fitting conclusion to the proceedings. All in all, "Silent Fall" is a middling (at best) psychological thriller. It suffers from a clunky screenplay and trite dialogue, though it is worth viewing for its stark autumnal atmosphere and cinematography. A visual treat; a narrative, perhaps not so much. 6/10.