Last Updated on October 11, 2024 by
The Silent Hour is an action-thriller film consisting of minutes of tension and suspense directed by Brad Anderson, who prefers more dark and intense films such as The Machinist (2004) and Session 9 (2001). Nonetheless, Anderson resorts to something more simplistic and suspenseful in this movie, taking hints and references from well-known action movies such as Die Hard. It is an action-thriller that showcases the survival of a cop and a witness within an almost deserted apartment complex. The interesting thing about this particular movie is that some of the characters are portrayed as having some form of disability especially when it comes to hearing hence making the survival even harder. As for the movie, it excels in creating suspense, and the leading actors – Sandra Mae Frank and Joel Kinnaman – give forceful performances that give the movie even more tension.
Detective Frank (portrayed by Joel Kinnaman) is an intelligent and skilled senior police officer who also feels the pain of a divorce and tries to impress his daughter, Sam (played by Katrina Lupi). One day, while Frank and his partner Doug, an actor Mark Strong, are scrutinizing a suspect near the dock, something is wrong. Frank meets the terrible fate of being knocked off and ending up in a state of coma due to a traumatic head injury. This leads to his gradual deafness, which negatively affects his ability to work as a detective and ultimately leads to his retirement.
Instead of complete happiness, Frank starts experiencing discomfort and confusion in his new life due to the deterioration of his hearing. He has to wear hearing aids and cannot work as a detective due to noise problems or a fast pace anymore. Being stripped of his guns and glory, Frank grows helpless and melancholic and has to become a sign language interpreter in law enforcement. He is assigned a new role with Doug, who takes him to an apartment where they encounter a woman named Ava portrayed by Sandra Mae Frank. Ava is a photographer who one late night at work, recorded a shooting on video by mere accident. The shooter, a gang leader named Lynch played by Mekhi Phifer wants to eliminate her and also the evidence.
One night when Frank forgets his phone at Ava’s place, he goes back only to find that Lynch and his crew are there to eliminate her. Knowing the danger, Frank comes closer to her, and now they both have to get out of the building and escape the gang.
The morning starts with action – a chase through a series of large shipping containers. An instance, Frank is in pursuit of a suspect; he has an accident with a truck and he falls and suffers a blow on the head which later results in ear damage that leads to his hearing impairment. This scene is brief, However, it reveals the first signs of Frank’s suffering—his life will drastically change from this point onward. As his hearing gets worse, Frank starts feeling like he’s losing everything: his capacity to perform his profession, and his relationship with his daughter Sam, who mourns for the father she used to have. Frank slowly loses patience as he struggles to accept that he is going to wear hearing aids as he feels that he does not have direction in his life.
This is because once Frank and Ava are trapped inside the building, the movie transforms into a thrilling game of cat and mouse. Thus, Ava is one of the few remaining inhabitants, as the building is going to be demolished to give way to a couple of luxurious apartments. She has her problems; she is an ex-drug addict who is striving to rebuild her life again after a terrible experience. However, her biggest issue now is to stay alive for Lynch and his goons who intend to eliminate her since she made the video. With the assistance of Frank, they attempt to escape the building while avoiding any contact with zombies, ensconcing themselves in each room, fire escape, and closet.
This movie captivates the audience as Frank and Ava attempt to flee. They are threatened at every turn—not only by the gang but also by Frank who has hearing difficulties exacerbated by his hearing aids walking dead most of the time. Lynch’s gang appears to be professional and efficient, but Frank and Ava can outwit them; running from floor to floor as they try to fend off the criminals.
There is, however, one thing that distinguishes The Silent Hour from other action thrillers and that is the relationship between the characters and their ordeals. While Frank assails the antagonists, he is also combating individual adversaries, including his deafness and estrangement from his daughter. The film has much to offer in terms of illustrating Frank’s emotional journey and his efforts to restore his relationship with Sam who wants her father back.
And Ava has her emotional arc as well. The woman is struggling with her history of drug abuse and is now embroiled in a fight for her life. While on the run from Lynch’s gang, Frank and Ava take refuge in a cabin and gradually get emotionally involved with each other. This adds more dimension to the movie, and it’s not just an action film, it is about two people who just want to live and are overcoming their troubled pasts.
Despite its strengths that make The Silent Hour an entertaining thriller, the novel has some problems. The dialogue in the second half of the movie becomes slightly less frequent when Frank and Ava pause the narration of their past, which might seem unnatural at times. As for the characters, the lack of antagonist development is quite apparent, with Lynch’s gang serving as an example of rudimentary villains. They’re just the stereotypical bad guys with not much character depth, which could be a disappointment for some people.
Still, for all these imperfections, The Silent Hour offers a fair share of thrills and chills to keep the audience engaged. The passion of the actors Joel Kinnaman and Sandra Mae Frank assists in making the story realistic and realistic and including hearing loss as an arc to the flow of the typical action thriller movie.
Final Thoughts
This might not be the most unique of movies, but as an action and thriller movie, with hints of character depth and growth, it does well. Brad Anderson, the director of the film, adds suspense and action to the movie, in addition to presenting to the public an aspect of life with hearing impaired individuals. The Silent Hour is great for those who like chase movies or other narratives that focus on protagonists’ attempts to survive.
The Silent Hour 2024 Parents Guide Age Rating
The Silent Hour is rated R by the Motion Picture Rating (MPA) for violence, pervasive language and some drug material.
Violence & Gore: A violent chase that takes place in the movie, where the cop and the witness become targets for the gang. This results in many scenes of fighting and shooting, as well as nail-biting situations where characters are in danger of losing their lives. Some scenes contain action-oriented violence, where Jackson and other characters fire guns at people, apparently to kill or maim them. In the scheme of things, there is the act whereby the gang has covered up a murder by shooting the victim and then producing a video of the act, so one will get to see the shooting but the dire consequences may not necessarily be depicted fully. As for particular scenes featuring violent action, there are scenes where characters fight using their hands. Use of fists, feet, and fights including fighting to cause harm is depicted and at times consequences like scratches, swellings, and blood rushes are depicted. In the movie, although the signs of Frank’s TBI are briefly depicted at the start of the film when he is injured, some occasions expose his condition. The consequences of the head trauma and loss of hearing are relevant to the plot, and there may be moments in which he is portrayed as being in pain, confused, or having difficulties with his hearing aid devices.
Profanity: The antagonists employ foul language in scenes of conflict. Expect to hear: Inappropriate language and the excessive use of profanity including the use of the “f-word”. Low levels of violence such as occasional use of foul language, provocative names, and threats as actors and actresses act out action scenes or confrontations with the main heroes and villains. Profanity is also used in the dialogue, and it can be used in various situations when one is not pleased, pressured, afraid, or angry.
Substance Use: In many scenes, one gets a feeling that Ava was once a drug addict but this is not depicted in raw and graphic fashion like in similar movies. This may entail some discussion or even mention of her past substance abuse. It is in these scenes that Ava’s problem with substance use is suggested, but the audience does not witness any instance of drug use. However, the self-inflicted pain and the strain that comes with substance addiction contribute to her character’s story. While there may be some instances where the characters go to drink legally or have a bottle of wine in the movie.
Sexual Content & Nudity: Thus, The Silent Hour can be considered a rather tame novel in terms of sexual material. Though the movie features a male and a female character as potential lovers, it does little to portray romantic or even sexual interest between the two. Yet, there will be some situations where the characters are depicted without their clothes but not in an erotic way (like when Ava takes off her clothes to change).
Final Notes for Parents: Why it’s rated R: The film features frequent violence, themes of addiction and disability, and uses strong language. There is no sex at all, but the action is quite intense, and the movie’s interpersonal relations are rather dark, which is why the movie is best suited for mature viewers.
