Nothing quite says Oscar season like the release of a new Martin Scorsese film. Even 2013's The Wolf Of Wall Street which was at times more comedic than serious was nominated for five Academy Awards, which means that a po-faced historical drama dealing with religious persecution is practically a shoo-in. Silence (written by Jay Cocks and based on the novel of the same name by Shusaku Endo) tells the story of two Jesuit Portuguese Catholic priests who encounter violent opposition when they travel to Japan to spread the teachings of Christianity. Among its stars are Liam Neeson, Andrew Garfield, Adam Driver and Ciaran Hinds. If that's not enough, the film has been a passion project of Scorsese's for almost three decades, and has technically been in development since 1991. The combination of a brilliant director, a story he's determined to tell and a talented actor (Neeson) who hasn't done serious drama in far too long are all big signs that Silence is destined for Oscar greatness.
