Give me Lara Croft (TOMB RAIDER) any time of day! You can interact with her a lot more than movies like THE SILENCER. Proving that the worldwide video game industry can be smarter and more creative than Underground Hollywood, it's a disgraceful pity. Aside from our "heroine" Angel, who shows a little life using the wimpy gun, the film suffers from one extremely fatal flaw: the silly writing. Halfway through, the stalker playing "The Silencer" apparently makes the film follow his point of view. It remains to feel more "exploitation" than basic action, and is the case with virtually all of them. I don't know why the hell they're made this way. One thing is for sure: they cash in on "adult" content more than the movies themselves. Avoid this and other female-lead "actioners" (except for Pam Grier's and LA FEMME NIKITA) at all costs to prevent further upsetting.
13 Reviews
Just Another Hollywood Clone of "Le Feme Nitika"
zardoz-1330 May 2008
Warning: Spoilers
The Crown International Pictures release "The Silencer" is a superficial shoot'em up about a couple of top-secret assassins. Originally, this tame thriller appeared as a full-frame Rhino DVD, but Brentwood has resurrected it along with other Crown releases and packaged it in a two-disc collection "Maximum Action" in a widescreen format, even though some of the credits are cropped. The lack of either subtitles or closed captions will force conscientious audiences to strain their ears to catch some of the mumbled, virtually inaudible dialogue.
This exercise in B-movie mayhem concerns a seductive, scantily-clad in black leather female assassinpreviously a 'lost soul herself'who performs untraceable executions for an anonymous extra-legal organization. She finds herself drawn back into the fold because she doesn't have the discipline to quit. She suffers a similar problem with her use of tobacco products. She wants to quit but she cannot kick the habit because she is hooked. Initially, before she turned her back on the business, Angelica worked in tandem with her partner/lover George. The mysterious organization that they worked for ranked them as the cream of the crop where killing without a conscience was required. Angelica left the organization because of George (Chris Mulkey of "Cloverfield") who abused her and kept her chained to a radiator because he wanted her all to himself.
As "The Silencer" unfolds, Angelica (Lynette Walden of "Benny & Joon") comes back for five hits and succeeds at killing her quarry where men have failed because she wields her sexy body as a weapon. The primitive title sequence video game graphics, which recur throughout the film and serve as a means to brief Angelica about her targets, leave a lot to be desired. Unfortunately, like all video game graphics from yesteryear, these graphics really date this marginal thriller that not surprisingly relies heavily on sexual metaphors.
Aside from the tacky video game graphics, "The Silencer" boasts a modest enough budget, above-average photography, and a drop-dead gorgeous babe as its heroine. Walden isn't a bad actress. She does everything according to the Spencer Tracy School of acting; she delivers her lines without error and stumble into the furniture. On the other hand, Walden plays a character whose depth is only skin-deep; nothing in the way of a backstory aside from the abusive relationship that she had with a lovesick George who desperately wants her back distinguishes her doomed character.
Angelica masquerades as a blond in a white dress in the first action sequence and guns down a guy at a factoryno name for the factory or description of its output is furnishedand then escapes without a trace while the police cordon off the area. As Angelica is making her getaway in her skimpy black outfit, she catches a young hunk of a thief, Drew (Jaime Gomez of "American Me"), trying to boost her motorcycle. When a black patrolman (Ava Dupree) questions them about suspicious blonds in the area, Angelica behaves as if the thief were her boyfriend to throw the cops off her scent. The erotic sex scene in the bathtub at her apartment with the dude she picked up at the murder scene and brought home will have guys panting just to see the statuesque starlet strip naked and display her spectacular assets. This occurs ten minutes in the film and guys will probably want to hang around for more such scenes but there aren't any as slippery and soapy as this one. The nudity here is confined to frontal about the belly button variety with a nice shot of her hindquarters.
Angelica isn't a passive, laid-back female. She is very active. She seduces guys on her own terms and sometimes buys them clothing. Although she made bareback love to Drew in the bathtub, she backs out of her first liaison with Tony (Paul Ganus) because a jammed condom machine won't dispense a rubber. Later, when she accompanies Tony to his place, she finds a condom. The package says 'no glove, no love,' squarely placing "The Silencer" in with those message movies about safe sex. Angelica would qualify as an unsympathetic character were it not for her relationship with Didi (Brook Susan Parker of "Strange Days"), a poor, homeless girl that perverts and rogue cops abuse. Angelica buys Didi some new duds and sets her up with a mechanic to clean his garage.
Angelica guns down tough girl Barbie Rogers who kidnaps children for hardcore pornos. Our heroine dresses like a guy with stick-on mustache and blasts Barbie while they are shooting side-by-sick at an indoor shooting range. She kills a white pimp (Morton Downey, Jr.) and makes it look like an accident.
Repeatedly, George acts like her guardian angel and shows up after the fact at our heroine's killings. George is terminally jealous and kills anybody with whom Angelica has a relationship. Ultimately, Angelica refuses to take George back. At one point, she pours several shots into him and sends him plunging backwards into a pond. Luckily, he had the foresight to wear a bulletproof vest. Chalk up another cliché!
Writer & director Amy Goldstein and co-scribe Scott Kraft provide us with just another contrived potboiler about pistoleros with neither surprises nor suspense. Essentially, "The Silencer" aspires to be another "Le Femme Nitika," but it falls far short of the mark. Daniel Berkowitz, however, deserves praise for his color photography; Berkowitz displays a knack for lighting a scene and giving it depth. The nocturnal exterior scenes around the bridge when George saves Angelica's bacon with a high-powered rifle look extremely professional. Indeed, the entire movieaside from the cruddy video sequenceshas a gloss to it, and you keep watching "The Silencer" because you hope that the dog-eared storyline flat characters will eventually deliver the same way that the cinematography does. Alas, it doesn't and Goldstein never manages to create any sense of momentum.
This exercise in B-movie mayhem concerns a seductive, scantily-clad in black leather female assassinpreviously a 'lost soul herself'who performs untraceable executions for an anonymous extra-legal organization. She finds herself drawn back into the fold because she doesn't have the discipline to quit. She suffers a similar problem with her use of tobacco products. She wants to quit but she cannot kick the habit because she is hooked. Initially, before she turned her back on the business, Angelica worked in tandem with her partner/lover George. The mysterious organization that they worked for ranked them as the cream of the crop where killing without a conscience was required. Angelica left the organization because of George (Chris Mulkey of "Cloverfield") who abused her and kept her chained to a radiator because he wanted her all to himself.
As "The Silencer" unfolds, Angelica (Lynette Walden of "Benny & Joon") comes back for five hits and succeeds at killing her quarry where men have failed because she wields her sexy body as a weapon. The primitive title sequence video game graphics, which recur throughout the film and serve as a means to brief Angelica about her targets, leave a lot to be desired. Unfortunately, like all video game graphics from yesteryear, these graphics really date this marginal thriller that not surprisingly relies heavily on sexual metaphors.
Aside from the tacky video game graphics, "The Silencer" boasts a modest enough budget, above-average photography, and a drop-dead gorgeous babe as its heroine. Walden isn't a bad actress. She does everything according to the Spencer Tracy School of acting; she delivers her lines without error and stumble into the furniture. On the other hand, Walden plays a character whose depth is only skin-deep; nothing in the way of a backstory aside from the abusive relationship that she had with a lovesick George who desperately wants her back distinguishes her doomed character.
Angelica masquerades as a blond in a white dress in the first action sequence and guns down a guy at a factoryno name for the factory or description of its output is furnishedand then escapes without a trace while the police cordon off the area. As Angelica is making her getaway in her skimpy black outfit, she catches a young hunk of a thief, Drew (Jaime Gomez of "American Me"), trying to boost her motorcycle. When a black patrolman (Ava Dupree) questions them about suspicious blonds in the area, Angelica behaves as if the thief were her boyfriend to throw the cops off her scent. The erotic sex scene in the bathtub at her apartment with the dude she picked up at the murder scene and brought home will have guys panting just to see the statuesque starlet strip naked and display her spectacular assets. This occurs ten minutes in the film and guys will probably want to hang around for more such scenes but there aren't any as slippery and soapy as this one. The nudity here is confined to frontal about the belly button variety with a nice shot of her hindquarters.
Angelica isn't a passive, laid-back female. She is very active. She seduces guys on her own terms and sometimes buys them clothing. Although she made bareback love to Drew in the bathtub, she backs out of her first liaison with Tony (Paul Ganus) because a jammed condom machine won't dispense a rubber. Later, when she accompanies Tony to his place, she finds a condom. The package says 'no glove, no love,' squarely placing "The Silencer" in with those message movies about safe sex. Angelica would qualify as an unsympathetic character were it not for her relationship with Didi (Brook Susan Parker of "Strange Days"), a poor, homeless girl that perverts and rogue cops abuse. Angelica buys Didi some new duds and sets her up with a mechanic to clean his garage.
Angelica guns down tough girl Barbie Rogers who kidnaps children for hardcore pornos. Our heroine dresses like a guy with stick-on mustache and blasts Barbie while they are shooting side-by-sick at an indoor shooting range. She kills a white pimp (Morton Downey, Jr.) and makes it look like an accident.
Repeatedly, George acts like her guardian angel and shows up after the fact at our heroine's killings. George is terminally jealous and kills anybody with whom Angelica has a relationship. Ultimately, Angelica refuses to take George back. At one point, she pours several shots into him and sends him plunging backwards into a pond. Luckily, he had the foresight to wear a bulletproof vest. Chalk up another cliché!
Writer & director Amy Goldstein and co-scribe Scott Kraft provide us with just another contrived potboiler about pistoleros with neither surprises nor suspense. Essentially, "The Silencer" aspires to be another "Le Femme Nitika," but it falls far short of the mark. Daniel Berkowitz, however, deserves praise for his color photography; Berkowitz displays a knack for lighting a scene and giving it depth. The nocturnal exterior scenes around the bridge when George saves Angelica's bacon with a high-powered rifle look extremely professional. Indeed, the entire movieaside from the cruddy video sequenceshas a gloss to it, and you keep watching "The Silencer" because you hope that the dog-eared storyline flat characters will eventually deliver the same way that the cinematography does. Alas, it doesn't and Goldstein never manages to create any sense of momentum.
Okay. She needed that. It was just a physical thing.
nogodnomasters22 September 2017
Warning: Spoilers
Angel, a hit woman (Lynette Walden) comes out of retirement to redeem herself and is assigned 5 targets from the sex slave trade which includes Morton Downing Jr. The film opens up with a theme that sounds stolen from a bond film. There is video game involved in giving her "Mission Impossible" information. And one with very poor graphics. Her ex-boyfriend also spies on her.
Angel dresses rather scantily during the entire film, which was rather boring.
4 stars Lynette Walden's nude scene. Now available on a 50 film multi-pack.
Angel dresses rather scantily during the entire film, which was rather boring.
4 stars Lynette Walden's nude scene. Now available on a 50 film multi-pack.
Think of this as "La Femme Nikita"'s untalented younger sister
lemon_magic8 September 2011
Warning: Spoilers
"The Silencer"'s central visual metaphor (introduced in the credits) is a simulation of the worst, most boring, static, and lifeless 16 Bit Sega video game you ever played as a kid. Viewers should set their expectations accordingly.
Given the juicy subject matter and sordid goings on in the screen play, you'd think that "The Silencer" would be at least be a nice, cheesy little exploitation/grindhouse film.But no one involved in this hollow rehash of clichés has the vision or the moxie to make an involving or interesting movie. I sat through the whole thing waiting for something interesting to happen - and by interesting, I don't mean events like "heroine protagonist shoots another woman while they are side by side in a shooting range gallery"...I mean "does this in a way that makes me give a damn".
The actress who plays the hitwoman is attractive enough, but her screen persona lacks any real charisma or grit, so the net effect is kind of like watching Malibu Hitwoman Barbie shoot a succession of sleazy Ken dolls. And the whole movie is like that - it goes through the motions, but lacks any forward momentum.
I saw this movie in a $4.99 DVD collection called "Explosive Action" with a bunch of public domain releases from Crown International Pictures. I have learned (to my sorrow) that CIP rarely produces a good picture even by accident. Say what you will about Corman and American International (or Golan/Globus-Cannon), some interesting diamonds in the rough came out of those sausage grinder assembly lines over the years. But something about CIP seems to guarantee that any possible energy or interest in a film will be traded for a superficial slickness that saps all life out of everything they release.
I feel bad for the director/screenwriter on this one - I think she had something she wanted to say and a point of view she wanted to present - but all that was tossed away long before the first cuts went to the editing room and post production.
Given the juicy subject matter and sordid goings on in the screen play, you'd think that "The Silencer" would be at least be a nice, cheesy little exploitation/grindhouse film.But no one involved in this hollow rehash of clichés has the vision or the moxie to make an involving or interesting movie. I sat through the whole thing waiting for something interesting to happen - and by interesting, I don't mean events like "heroine protagonist shoots another woman while they are side by side in a shooting range gallery"...I mean "does this in a way that makes me give a damn".
The actress who plays the hitwoman is attractive enough, but her screen persona lacks any real charisma or grit, so the net effect is kind of like watching Malibu Hitwoman Barbie shoot a succession of sleazy Ken dolls. And the whole movie is like that - it goes through the motions, but lacks any forward momentum.
I saw this movie in a $4.99 DVD collection called "Explosive Action" with a bunch of public domain releases from Crown International Pictures. I have learned (to my sorrow) that CIP rarely produces a good picture even by accident. Say what you will about Corman and American International (or Golan/Globus-Cannon), some interesting diamonds in the rough came out of those sausage grinder assembly lines over the years. But something about CIP seems to guarantee that any possible energy or interest in a film will be traded for a superficial slickness that saps all life out of everything they release.
I feel bad for the director/screenwriter on this one - I think she had something she wanted to say and a point of view she wanted to present - but all that was tossed away long before the first cuts went to the editing room and post production.
A complete waste of time-almost nothing happens in the entire movie
dbborroughs17 August 2009
Warning: Spoilers
One of the biggest wastes of celluloid I've run across. Not so much bad as utterly pointless. Woman who was a hit woman killing bad guys drifts from man to man until she finds a guy she really likes. At the same time she is called back for one last job. Meanwhile she's stalked by an ex-boyfriend and hit-man who wants things to be like they were. She wanders about looking cute while we listen to the ex boyfriends inane ramblings abut his "angel". I was half way into the film when I realized nothing had really happened. I also realized that I was still watching because I was waiting for something to happen. "Okay something will happen and I'll know whether its worth continuing
" I kept thinking
but nothing really does until the end, but by then its way too late. Yes it looks good. Yes the lead is pretty both in and out of clothes, but nothing happens for most of the movie that is worth giving up the very precise time of your life
. I want my 85 minutes back.
2 out of 10 for the eye candy
2 out of 10 for the eye candy
Remarkably forgettable
bergma15@msu.edu30 January 2006
This little nothing is about a female assassin named Angel. Angel has to kill five scumbags who are involved in a child prostitution ring. She uses a Wather PPK with a silencer (hence the title of the film) to eliminate low-lifes. We know that she has a shady past, but this really isn't explored too much in the film. She's being tracked by another assassin who is probably her former boss and possibly lover. The film pretty much just leaves it at that. What's really lame is that she uses a video game called "The Silencer" (again, an illusion to the title of the film) to receive information about her assignments. Her former boss/lover/whatever he used to be uses the same video game to keep tabs on where she is.
The acting is sub-par. The plot seems like it was launched by a group of pot smokers in some kind of late night brain storming session. I can see it now "dude, we should make a movie about, like, this female assassin who uses the James Bond gun and, like, is being chased by her old boss. Whouldn't that be cool?" The script was a crime and the title sequences (which was supposed to be from the video game they play) would have Saul Bass turning in his grave. There's a cameo by Morton Downey Jr. that is pretty much the only highlight of the film. Unless you can spare a few brain cells and really don't care what you watch, forget this one.
The acting is sub-par. The plot seems like it was launched by a group of pot smokers in some kind of late night brain storming session. I can see it now "dude, we should make a movie about, like, this female assassin who uses the James Bond gun and, like, is being chased by her old boss. Whouldn't that be cool?" The script was a crime and the title sequences (which was supposed to be from the video game they play) would have Saul Bass turning in his grave. There's a cameo by Morton Downey Jr. that is pretty much the only highlight of the film. Unless you can spare a few brain cells and really don't care what you watch, forget this one.
This is horrible...
Antagonisten26 April 2000
This movie is simply quite horrible. I watch a lot of movies (typically 4-5 a week at the very least) of which many are b-movies. But i have trouble finding movies that have as few qualities as this one. The plot is non-existent and all the characters have the depth of a playing card. The effects are pretty silly, with silencers that sound like cannons, video games that give flashbacks to the eighties, completely unnecessary slow-motion sequences, and of course a score sounding like that of a b-grade porn flick.
If i should try to find anything positive to say, it´s that Lynette Walden is very nice to look at. Something that the film-makers obviously knew since they like to keep the camera showing her chest a bit too much...
All in all, this is a pathetic movie. I give it 1/10.
If i should try to find anything positive to say, it´s that Lynette Walden is very nice to look at. Something that the film-makers obviously knew since they like to keep the camera showing her chest a bit too much...
All in all, this is a pathetic movie. I give it 1/10.
Not Silent Enough!
inhopewell20 September 2013
Warning: Spoilers
I recently purchased THE SILENCERS, as part of Mill Creek's EXPLOSIVE CINEMA 12-film package. The first thing I noticed was, all the guns in this flick that had silencers (and there were a lot of them), made real loud "BANG!" noises. The rest of the movie worked about as well.
At $5.00 for EXPLOSIVE CINEMA, this little gem set me back a mere fifty cents....and I still feel ripped off, but in a fun, cheesy way. The acting was dreadful, the basic story hackneyed, and the characters, in some cases, unclear; 4-X, was the guy who was following her a former lover, her former boss, or the Grim Reaper, or (D), all of the above? Also,there were so many technical glitches, sound, lighting, etc. that it just rubs one's nose in the fact that this probably showed under the drive-in.
At $5.00 for EXPLOSIVE CINEMA, this little gem set me back a mere fifty cents....and I still feel ripped off, but in a fun, cheesy way. The acting was dreadful, the basic story hackneyed, and the characters, in some cases, unclear; 4-X, was the guy who was following her a former lover, her former boss, or the Grim Reaper, or (D), all of the above? Also,there were so many technical glitches, sound, lighting, etc. that it just rubs one's nose in the fact that this probably showed under the drive-in.
Watch it for entertainment, plus an interesting surprise
bkosse6 April 1999
While this film does have some very poor sound effects editing (silencers that don't, for example), it is far from a bad film, even though it's obvious it did not intend to be anything other than a B-movie.
What is most impressive is the female lead. Lynette Walden does a surprisingly good job portraying Angel, and she is the first clue that this was supposed to be a sex and action flick. However, she went far beyond that and actually made Angel at least a character, as well as someone with whom you sympathize.
Some of the sound effect editing is bad, causing the two main characters' guns to sound like some warped combination of an overloud laser blast and a normal gun, it's not that dreadfully distracting. Also, there is some silliness in part of the plot.
Again, let me point out that for a movie trying to be a B-grade show, Angel is one of the strongest female characters I have ever seen in a movie. She doesn't go whining off to her boyfriend every time she gets in trouble or gets hurt. A refreshing change from most movies which are supposed to have a heroine who can stand up for herself but ultimately requires the help of the hero.
What is most impressive is the female lead. Lynette Walden does a surprisingly good job portraying Angel, and she is the first clue that this was supposed to be a sex and action flick. However, she went far beyond that and actually made Angel at least a character, as well as someone with whom you sympathize.
Some of the sound effect editing is bad, causing the two main characters' guns to sound like some warped combination of an overloud laser blast and a normal gun, it's not that dreadfully distracting. Also, there is some silliness in part of the plot.
Again, let me point out that for a movie trying to be a B-grade show, Angel is one of the strongest female characters I have ever seen in a movie. She doesn't go whining off to her boyfriend every time she gets in trouble or gets hurt. A refreshing change from most movies which are supposed to have a heroine who can stand up for herself but ultimately requires the help of the hero.
Entertaining assassin thriller with a good turn from Lynette Walden
Red-Barracuda30 July 2016
The Silencer is a low budget movie that takes a clear influence from Luc Besson's super stylized French thriller Nikita (1990). Both share the idea of a professional female killer who works for an enigmatic government organisation. In this one we have Angel, a leather clad, motorbike riding assassin who is paid to kill those who exploit women. Her assignments are given to her via an arcade game called The Silencer which is situated in a downtown bar and which delivers the mission instructions after a special coin is inserted.
Probably the best thing about this one is Lynette Walden who plays Angel. She has a good mixture of sex appeal and kick ass style; I mean, after all, how many leading actresses are actual genuine bikers? She's pretty decent value in the various action scenes and is a compelling presence throughout. The film itself I found to be pretty entertaining all things considered. It's cheap and cheerful stuff admittedly but it gets the job done. The plot-line was nicely episodic and paced pretty well I thought. It's one of those movies from the early 90's that falls at least partially within the erotic thriller bracket. These types of films have a bit of a ropey reputation but I think it's a genre that has been executed pretty well sometimes and for me this is one of the ones I like.
Probably the best thing about this one is Lynette Walden who plays Angel. She has a good mixture of sex appeal and kick ass style; I mean, after all, how many leading actresses are actual genuine bikers? She's pretty decent value in the various action scenes and is a compelling presence throughout. The film itself I found to be pretty entertaining all things considered. It's cheap and cheerful stuff admittedly but it gets the job done. The plot-line was nicely episodic and paced pretty well I thought. It's one of those movies from the early 90's that falls at least partially within the erotic thriller bracket. These types of films have a bit of a ropey reputation but I think it's a genre that has been executed pretty well sometimes and for me this is one of the ones I like.
Silencer is Golden? If not, let's get down to the Brass tacks
Gluck-317 June 2001
You may have gotten an overall idea from the other comments that this film was not exactly ground-breaking. What do you expect from Crown International Pictures? There's a formula to be adhered to involving pretty girls, guns, sex, violence and nudity. So allow me to pitch in my two pennies as to the specifics.
It's always a curiosity for a female director to be at the helm of an exploitation film. Since such films generally don't deliver, sometimes one wonders whether a feminine perspective can set things right. I could practically hear the cheering section shouting, "You go girl, you Amy Goldstein, you show 'em how it's done RIGHT." It could be said director Amy Goldstein was the auteur of "The Silencer," as she was also the co-writer. Yessir, Amy Goldstein's womb was filled with "The Silencer," the film was her baby, and she has delivered... probably by Caesarean.
Not that Ms. Goldstein has gone totally wrong... she has set about creating an unusually strong female lead. (Well. The character is a hitwoman, so she can't be too much of a wuss.) There is one scene at a poolroom where she takes such a liking to a feller ("Tony"), she practically rapes him, as if to say, Ha-ha. How do you like this role reversal, buddy?
The thing is, why oh why did Ms. Goldstein choose Lynette Walden as the hitwoman, "Angie"? It's like today's films that insist on casting Hollywood pretty boys for roles involving rough-and-tumble characters. For example, I hope you don't remember the TV series version of "The Dirty Dozen," but if you're unfortunate enough to still be haunted by this memory, just compare the mostly plastic actors in that cast versus the amazing cast in the original movie. (Even "The Silencer" plays along with casting ho-hum pretty boys in the mean roles... note the corrupt vice cop - if that's what he was - who tries to shake down hookers for money... why choose an actor who has the forgettable looks of Jeff "Taxi" Conaway?)
Okay, Ms. Walden tries to look and act tough, but she opens her mouth and she sounds like she's out for a night at the mall with the rest of the girls. She's so.... regular! If you're going to make a film about an aggressive and ruthless woman, you need an actress who has some GRIT! An extreme good example is Lucy Lawless' "Xena"; a beautiful woman, certainly, but the viewer can readily believe there is some power behind her. The odds were already stacked against The Silencer's being a memorable movie, but Amy Goldstein really did herself in with her unimaginative casting choice for the lead role.
Two good casting choices: the late Morton Downey, Jr. who was so beautifully sleazy, and perfectly chosen for his villainous role in "The Silencer"; then there's Chris Mulkey, who's always a pleasure to see in films, with his eyebrow tips by the nose constantly pointing upward. I didn't know this actor by name, but you always see him in movies and television... bit parts in films like "Rambo" is where I first took note of him. Checking his body of work at the IMDB, he has been around for a while... starring (STARRING!) in a "Death Wish" type of movie all the way back in 1976 (called "Deadbeat"). He's tall and distinctive-looking, and should have become at least as well known as Michael Madsen. Why couldn't obscure Chris Mulkey have been cutting off ears in "Reservoir Dogs"? Life just isn't fair.
Surprisingly, some work actually went into the title sequence, going for a James Bond type of flair; the song helped. When the gets-lost-in-a-crowd Lynette Walden kept holding her Luger-like golden pistola with the defective silencer extension, do you know what she caused me to do? I mean, besides lowering my eyelids to half-mast? She reminded me of Christopher Lee's "Man with the Golden Gun." Maybe she reminded me more of Herve Villechaize in that film, I don't know.
In conclusion, ladies and gentlemen, could somebody please tell me how Mr. Mulken's character, as the one-time lover of the far-from-intoxicating Lynette Walden (I'm not talking about her mouth-watering chest... I'm talking about Lynette Walden, the person. Please do not objectify Lynette Walden), stalking her as he does throughout the movie (Chris: the affair is over; get over it. You want to be with a dangerous woman, go after Amanda Plummer... even if her chest is not of the treasure variety)... how in the world can he see her every move from the video game machine that she seems to be getting her instructions from. Is Chris Mulkey secretly Dr. Mabuse, and is this really a science fiction film? Do not ask me to suspend my disbelief to such an outrageous extent, PLEASE, Amy Goldstein!
It's always a curiosity for a female director to be at the helm of an exploitation film. Since such films generally don't deliver, sometimes one wonders whether a feminine perspective can set things right. I could practically hear the cheering section shouting, "You go girl, you Amy Goldstein, you show 'em how it's done RIGHT." It could be said director Amy Goldstein was the auteur of "The Silencer," as she was also the co-writer. Yessir, Amy Goldstein's womb was filled with "The Silencer," the film was her baby, and she has delivered... probably by Caesarean.
Not that Ms. Goldstein has gone totally wrong... she has set about creating an unusually strong female lead. (Well. The character is a hitwoman, so she can't be too much of a wuss.) There is one scene at a poolroom where she takes such a liking to a feller ("Tony"), she practically rapes him, as if to say, Ha-ha. How do you like this role reversal, buddy?
The thing is, why oh why did Ms. Goldstein choose Lynette Walden as the hitwoman, "Angie"? It's like today's films that insist on casting Hollywood pretty boys for roles involving rough-and-tumble characters. For example, I hope you don't remember the TV series version of "The Dirty Dozen," but if you're unfortunate enough to still be haunted by this memory, just compare the mostly plastic actors in that cast versus the amazing cast in the original movie. (Even "The Silencer" plays along with casting ho-hum pretty boys in the mean roles... note the corrupt vice cop - if that's what he was - who tries to shake down hookers for money... why choose an actor who has the forgettable looks of Jeff "Taxi" Conaway?)
Okay, Ms. Walden tries to look and act tough, but she opens her mouth and she sounds like she's out for a night at the mall with the rest of the girls. She's so.... regular! If you're going to make a film about an aggressive and ruthless woman, you need an actress who has some GRIT! An extreme good example is Lucy Lawless' "Xena"; a beautiful woman, certainly, but the viewer can readily believe there is some power behind her. The odds were already stacked against The Silencer's being a memorable movie, but Amy Goldstein really did herself in with her unimaginative casting choice for the lead role.
Two good casting choices: the late Morton Downey, Jr. who was so beautifully sleazy, and perfectly chosen for his villainous role in "The Silencer"; then there's Chris Mulkey, who's always a pleasure to see in films, with his eyebrow tips by the nose constantly pointing upward. I didn't know this actor by name, but you always see him in movies and television... bit parts in films like "Rambo" is where I first took note of him. Checking his body of work at the IMDB, he has been around for a while... starring (STARRING!) in a "Death Wish" type of movie all the way back in 1976 (called "Deadbeat"). He's tall and distinctive-looking, and should have become at least as well known as Michael Madsen. Why couldn't obscure Chris Mulkey have been cutting off ears in "Reservoir Dogs"? Life just isn't fair.
Surprisingly, some work actually went into the title sequence, going for a James Bond type of flair; the song helped. When the gets-lost-in-a-crowd Lynette Walden kept holding her Luger-like golden pistola with the defective silencer extension, do you know what she caused me to do? I mean, besides lowering my eyelids to half-mast? She reminded me of Christopher Lee's "Man with the Golden Gun." Maybe she reminded me more of Herve Villechaize in that film, I don't know.
In conclusion, ladies and gentlemen, could somebody please tell me how Mr. Mulken's character, as the one-time lover of the far-from-intoxicating Lynette Walden (I'm not talking about her mouth-watering chest... I'm talking about Lynette Walden, the person. Please do not objectify Lynette Walden), stalking her as he does throughout the movie (Chris: the affair is over; get over it. You want to be with a dangerous woman, go after Amanda Plummer... even if her chest is not of the treasure variety)... how in the world can he see her every move from the video game machine that she seems to be getting her instructions from. Is Chris Mulkey secretly Dr. Mabuse, and is this really a science fiction film? Do not ask me to suspend my disbelief to such an outrageous extent, PLEASE, Amy Goldstein!
hmm...
kittymeow6 June 2003
It was an interesting film... I think the only reason I enjoyed it was the pretty leading lady who knew how to kick ass! I also thought it was funny, that within the first fifteen minutes of the film there was a sex scene. Otherwise, all the killing, the sex, and stalker boyfriend this film was umm... eccentric?
the best bad film ever!
urgrue-220 April 2001
how can anyone not love this film? this movie goes so beyond bad it puts ed wood to shame. to think dozens of people actually put time and effort into this film, and even got paid for their "efforts," is just mind-blowing. forget camp, forget rocky horror picture show, steven segal, look who's talking too, just forget every bad film you ever saw. if you want to cry and laugh until you die convulsing on the floor, watch this film. has more cheese than the moon, worse editing and effects than 'liquid sky', more gratuitous skimpy outfits than a britney spears video, 'the silencer' is just wall-to-wall cringers.
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
