SILENT FALL
A film review by James Berardinelli
Copyright 1994 James Berardinelli
Rating (0 to 10): 3.5
Date Released: 10/28/94 Running Length: 1:44 Rated: R (Violence, language, mature themes)
Starring: Richard Dreyfuss, Ben Faulkner, Liv Tyler, Linda Hamilton,
John Lithgow, J. T. Walsh
Director: Bruce Beresford
Producer: James G. Robinson
Screenplay: Akiva Goldsman
Cinematography: Peter James
Music: Stewart Copeland
Released by Warner Brothers
What happens when you start out with a decent mystery premise, a solid lead actor, and a script that builds suspense nicely through the first half before inexplicably self-destructing in the most messy and unpleasant manner? You have either 1993's BENEFIT OF THE DOUBT or 1994's SILENT FALL, thrillers that share a number of unfortunate traits, the most notable of which is an inability to construct a worthwhile picture despite several apparent advantages.
Bruce Beresford, who is in the director's chair for this film, has a history of inconsistency. For every TENDER MERCIES, DRIVING MISS DAISY, or RICH IN LOVE, there has been a KING DAVID, HER ALIBI, or A GOOD MAN IN AFRICA. SILENT FALL isn't a movie for which Beresford will want to be remembered.
The basic story is that a mother and father have been brutally murdered and the lone witness appears to be their autistic nine-year old son Tim (Ben Faulkner). Tim, however, won't talk, so child psychiatrist Jake Rainer (Richard Dreyfuss) is called in to bring him out of his shell. At first, because of ghosts from the past, Jake is unwilling, but the treatments offered by nasty Dr. Harlinger (John Lithgow) convince him otherwise. So, with the aid of Tim's seductive eighteen-year old sister Sylvie (Liv Tyler), Jake sets out to free the child's memories so that Sheriff Mitch Rivers (J.T. Walsh), the incompetent head of an inept investigation, can arrest a suspect.
The first fifty minutes of the film have their high points--a nice buildup, some attempts (although predictable ones) at setting up character relationships, and a suitably creepy atmosphere. However, developments in the second half easily make the viewer forget whatever good things came before. The plot gets out-of-hand and, like a boulder barreling down a mountainside, the implausibilities and contrivances gather speed until a disaster is unavoidable. The catastrophe comes in the form of what the film makers apparently decided to call a "conclusion."
If the sheer inanity of this preposterous situation doesn't get you, then the variety of uneven performances might. Richard Dreyfuss is generally solid (except when he's trying to mimic Robin Williams' zany vocal antics), but the rest of the cast is lacking. Ben Faulkner doesn't display any range, Linda Hamilton is an absolute embarrassment (fortunately, her screen time is limited), and John Lithgow looks like he stopped by to pick up a quick pay check. Liv Tyler, who has a certain screen presence in low-key situations but fails to convince when required to display extreme emotion, looks like she's acting in her first feature--which is the case.
There are three kinds of murder mysteries: those that are solidly scripted and hold together both during a viewing and while being dissected afterwards, those that entertain while being watched but can be picked apart later, and those that collapse even as they unfold on screen. SILENT FALL slides neatly into the third category. I can't emphasize how poorly arrived at the resolution is, how plotted the whole film feels, and how unpleasant it is to sit through this tripe. SILENT FALL is the kind of picture that results when a film maker loses sight of the fact that a portion of his audience might actually think while watching a movie.
- James Berardinelli (blake7@cc.bellcore.com)
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