Today’s quick review: Silencer. Once a hitman known as the Silencer, Army veteran Frank Harris (Johnny Messner) has retired to live a quiet life with his girlfriend Cass (Nikki Leigh) and her daughter Shannon (Kai Scarlett Williams). But when Frank turns down a job for drug kingpin Leonard Ochoa (Danny Trejo), Ochoa’s goons kidnap Cass. To save her, Frank will have to return to the violent life he gave up.
Silencer is a budget crime drama and action movie from director Timothy Woodward, Jr. The movie follows a typical action template: a violent hero is forced to kill again to save a loved one. Silencer offers little in the way of plot, action, or originality. The low budget shows in little ways, although the film makes a credible effort at working with what it has. The result is a passable execution of a story without much meat on its bones.
Silencer is incongruously slow-paced. The movie spends nearly half of its short run time on setup, with only a dash of action at the end. This proves to be a mixed blessing. On the one hand, Silencer clearly drags its feet. On the other hand, the slower pacing, subdued tone, and focus on characters help compensate for the movie’s weaknesses. Silencer manages a much more straight-faced delivery than similar films, in part because it takes its time.
But Silencer’s relative merits aren’t enough to make it an interesting watch. The movie makes Frank out to be a fearsome killer, but he never does anything remarkable. Johnny Messner handles the steely side of the character well but never makes him notable. The plot is coherent but has very few twists. The action scenes are unremarkable and come late in the game. Overall, Silencer does nothing that other movies frequently do better.
Watch Silencer only if you’re a budget action fan looking for something short and straightforward. Silencer steers clear of the worst pitfalls of the genre, but it has little to offer in return. Most viewers would be better off with one of the many other action films out there. For rougher work from the same director, try Checkmate or 4Got10. For a budget action movie that makes more out of a similarly sparse premise, try The Debt Collector.
3.9 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 4.5 for marginal execution of a thin story.