The Silent One

From the very beginning, I have always said that the foundation of a film is the script. The Silent One, however, is a rare case where directorial and acting dedication can work wonders and turn a typical B-movie storyline into a great story and a powerful drama. Lino Ventura gets caught in the midst of a clash between secret services in Eastern and Western Europe and soon becomes a pawn in his own country. His paranoia reaches its peak, but those who expect the worst are usually prepared for anything. And as it is known, fortune favors the prepared. The Silent One is a dark and suspenseful film, where I willingly overlook the obvious flaws in the script. Among other things, it involves a whole army of spies capable of organizing an assassination at a moment's notice. Fortunately, reality was somewhat different even during the height of the Cold War. I also overlook the almost operatic unveiling of the villains and ultimately give the film the highest rating. Overall impression: 90%. (11/25/2014)

A breathtaking opening, a brilliant ending, and everything in between was very much the same except for a few isolated moments. Lino Ventura was truly born for these heroes and probably few could have made the character of a desperate scientist fighting for survival so believable. I liked the oppressively hopeless mood of The Conversation with Gene Hackman even better, but that doesn't mean I'm not happy giving The Silent One five stars. (06/01/2014)