THE SILENT HOUR: Mark Strong Joins Cast of Crime Thriller

Mark Strong Joins Cast of The Silent Hour

Mark Strong joins cast of Brad Anderson’s crime thriller The Silent Hour.

Mark Strong has been cast in a police procedural of a different kind, entitled The Silent Hour. The logline provides a plot revolving around a detective facing down corrupt police officers out to kill off the witness to a crime. The rub is that the detective gets caught in a crossfire of ‘blue’ loyalty and  personal empathy. This conflict is especially interesting because the witness is deaf, and the detective is hearing impaired.

Like many British actors, Strong launched his career on the stage, in productions of Death of a Salesman, The Ice Man Cometh, Uncle Vanya, and A View from the Bridge. More apropos, he gained considerable experience acting in police procedurals on television in the UK. These include some very well known to American audiences, Prime Suspect among them.

But where would Mark Strong exactly fit in with this unusual spin on this high-concept trope? Strong is certainly a diverse actor, performing in a variety of genres, both comedic and dramatic. But considering the various portrayals as ‘heavies’ in dramatic films such as Captain Smith in 1917, CIA supervisor George Panetta in Zero Dark Thirty, and MI6 agent Stewart Menzies in The Imitation Game, Strong could fit just about anywhere.

The Silent Hour will be directed by Brad Anderson, who has a special knack for psychological horror and thrillers, and in terms of artistic temperament, right up his alley. Best known for The Machinist, starring Christian Bale, he is also the driving force behind Session 9, and The Call, starring Halle Berry. Like Strong, Anderson also found a home in television with quirky original series such as Fringe, The Wire, The Killing, and Boardwalk Empire.

The screenplay will be written by producer Dan Hall at his first professional crack at writing one, at least, according to the available information. He has very good material to start with, too; the premise is more than intriguing enough. Navigating a criminal investigation is rough enough, and adding not one, but two sensory impaired protagonists can only ramp up the suspense in much the same way Wait Until Dark had done.

Also, the filmmakers have wisely recruited an all-important resource. They brought on board Anselmo DeSousa (CODA) as an ASL coach. Learning to sign, as with any second language, is an enormous challenge to the uninitiated, particularly as adults. The crucial difference with ASL is the practical necessity of rethinking in that language from the very start. So, both detective and witness in The Silent Hour have their work cut out for them, but their efforts will surely reap huge rewards.

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