If you want GoodFellas 2, be warned this is more Kundun, as Scorsese blends his twin religions of Catholicism and cinema to considerable effect.
Less showy than The Last Temptation Of Christ, more gripping than Kundun, the third part of Scorsese’s unofficial ‘religious’ trilogy is beautifully made, staggeringly ambitious and utterly compelling.
Fervent in its telling and unusually cerebral, Silence is a paragon of integrity from one of modern filmmaking's most reliable maestros.
A 159-minute slow burn which will probably resonate more deeply with the Catholic faithful.
This drama about two Christian priests’ quest to find their mentor in 17th-century Japan is sometimes hard work, but is full of conviction.
If you like Scorsese and you like rich, complex cinema, then this is a challenging but very rewarding way to start your 2017 cinema-going.
As it stands, it’s an impressive but flawed film that can’t avoid being the first real disappointment of the year.
Interesting up to a point, but over the course of three hours it becomes rather monotonous, particularly as Scorsese undercuts his own meticulously composed images with reams of deadening voice-over describing exactly what’s happening on screen.
Shinya Tsukamoto interview
General release. Check local listings for show times.
Edinburgh Filmhouse, Edinburgh from Friday February 17, 2017, until Thursday February 23, 2017. More info: www.filmhousecinema.com