Dead Silence

Exciting film dealing with a hostage rescue unit of the FBI. They must try to talk a deranged convict and his buddies out of killing a group of young kids held in an abandoned slaughter house. Things go about as expected until the last 20 minutes when a surprise is thrown in which spices up an otherwise routine suspense picture.

I have always been a huge fan of James Garner. His movie work at times has been as good as his "Rockford Files" TV show, and this is one of the best examples. I was not familiar with the novel by Deaver on which it is based, but I will say that the story does not disappoint. The actors are all excellent, and there is a good deal of suspense. I disagree with some other reviews here on Garner's performance, as I bought the DVD largely because of his role. Another good movie he did near the same time was "Fire In The Sky", which fans should also check out. This movie was filmed in Canada, near where I live, and you can somehow always tell a Canadian production just by the look. Perhaps the portrayal of America never feels quite genuine.

I'm a big fan of Jeffrey Deaver but I'm not aware of this story but I will look for it. Great suspense and cool twists in this story. John Potter, Jim Rockford, aka James Garner was superb. Just like his roles in The Rockford Files.

If you are a fan of James Garner and/or fan of books by Jeffrey Deaver, this is a must. Tomorrow I need to go to our local used bookstore and get this one.

It was difficult to not spill any spoilers.

Dead Silence is one of the best movies I've seen in a long time. It has all the elements necessary for a quality film. Drama, suspense, action, and even the occasionally witty comment by the all-star cast are present. Drama and action, specifically, are present in spades. James Garner truly shines in his role as the conflicted FBI agent John Potter, as does James Villemaire, who portrays the character Sonny, one of the kidnappers of the deaf children. Dead Silence is a one of a kind, edge of your seat movie, sure to keep you guessing till the climatic finale. I recommend this film to all, as everyone should see this exemplar of modern film-making.

"Dead Silence" has a real grabber of an opening, and rarely lets up thereafter. The hostage drama plays out in a somewhat logical manner, until the end, where credibility gets stretched to the max. It is interesting to see the way James Garner manipulates the situation to his advantage, only to have the whole thing unraveled by what appears to be nothing more than a tacked on ending. Nevertheless the film delivers a lot of tense moments, and is entertaining, despite the rush to a rather unbelievable conclusion. The movie is well acted, and the on location photography is acceptable. I recommend seeking this one out. - MERK