Directed by Robin Pront and written by Micah Ranum, ‘The Silencing’ is an action-thriller about a vicious killer who is on the loose in the sleepy town of Sawbill in Minnesota. A former hunter and a female sheriff set out to track the whereabouts of the killer to put an end to the mysteries.
The story unfolds five years after the disappearance of Rayburn Swanson’s (played by Danish actor Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) teenage daughter Gwen. Rayburn is now an alcoholic who has given up hunting and maintains his Gwen Swanson wildlife sanctuary deep in the Minnesota forest for his daughter loved animals. Guilt is taking him over every day as he recalls the day he left Gwen in his truck to refill his booze supply. Though it was only a matter of a few minutes, Gwen was never seen again. Now his only mission in life is to find his daughter and the person responsible for taking her away.
The film opens with a young woman’s dead body floating in the lake with her throat slit. The opening gives the message loud and clear that the film is going to be dark and gritty with its share of mysteries. Soon the news spreads that a serial killer is on the round, picking up young girls for reasons best known to him.
Rayburn, after getting the killer’s footage from his high-tech surveillance equipment, goes after him with the hope that he might find his daughter or the killer of his daughter and seek closure. Giving up all hope on the local police, he sets out on a destructive journey to catch the killer, come what may.
What he doesn’t know is that there is a new sheriff in the town of Echo Falls, Sheriff Alice Gustafson (played by Annabelle Wallis), who takes the case in her hands to solve it. Later she comes to know that her brother Brooks (played by Hero Fiennes Tiffin), whom she had abandoned after the death of her parents to start a police career in Chicago, is found at the crime scene and is the prime suspect. Alice then gears up to solve the case to put an end to the serial killer once and for all. She is also in it to take out her brother from the mess.
Nikolaj gives a solid performance as a grieving father who can go to any lengths to find his missing daughter. He does nothing else. Unfortunately, for such a good actor like Annabelle, her character was also not written properly as it lacks interest. Debbie (Melanie Scrofano) as Rayburn’s ex-wife and Karl Blackhawk (Zahn McClarnon) as the new husband of Debbie, plays a promising but small role as nothing much was given to them as well. Hero as Brooks performs relatively well. Overall, the cast is not well-supported by the script. It would have helped if the characters had a slightly detailed backgrounder.
What one would like in ‘The Silencing’, which is unique, is the killer’s dress as he wears an overgrown Muppet like costume which is big and furry and very hard to get around in. Kudos to the killer having no problems in running and executing tricky knife maneuvers in the costume without revealing his mask.
Though the film has a few twists and turns, its real strength is in the tension of the hunting scenes where Rayburn comes face to face with the masked killer. It’s in these moments where the film gives a glimpse of horror. ‘The Silencing’ is perfect for those looking for an exciting film while they are still stuck at home due to the pandemic. If theatres are open, the film may not be quite worth it. Choose wisely! 
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