Film Review – The Silent Hour

Brad Anderson has made some interesting pictures during his career, collecting a cineaste following with his work on 2004’s “The Machinist” and 2001’s “Session 9.” He’s known for more thoughtful storytelling with heavy emphasis on mood, but Anderson goes the B-movie route with “The Silent Hour,” which borrows elements from “Die Hard” to explore a panicky afternoon for a cop and the witness he’s trying to protect. It’s a study of survival that almost entirely takes place in an empty apartment building, and the screenplay by Dan Hall offers something a little different, adding hearing impaired characters to the situation. Anderson and Hall provide a blessedly simple take on chase cinema with “The Silent Hour,” and it scores with moments of suspense and intimidation. Acting is also strong, with leads Sandra Mae Frank and Joel Kinnaman (who played a mute man in last year’s “Silent Night”) delivering intense performances to help sell the pressure of the violent hunt. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com