THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, November 5, 1994 TAG: 9411040091
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E5 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Movie Review
SOURCE: BY MAL VINCENT, MOVIE CRITIC
LENGTH: Medium: 67 lines
A 9-YEAR-OLD autistic boy is presumably the only witness to the brutal murder of his wealthy parents. However, he, cannot - or will not - reveal anything.
Richard Dreyfuss, as a troubled psychiatrist who gave up his practice after an autistic boy committed suicide while under his care, tries earnestly to reach him. Looming on the sidelines is a more radical doctor (John Lithgow), who wants to use drugs to make the boy talk, despite the side effects.
Such is the setup for ``Silent Fall,'' a level-headed thriller for most of its running time that turns to more melodramatic familiarity for its climax.
As a psychological mystery, it is worthwhile and often absorbing - as long as it sticks to the relationship between doctor and child. As a whodunnit, though, it is somewhat lame.
Young witnesses who are thwarted in getting protection have been the subject of quite a few films - most of them good ones. There was Bobby Driscoll as an imaginative little liar who isn't believed when he sees a real crime in ``The Window.'' There was the superb ``Witness'' with Harrison Ford. ``Silent Fall'' is better than the recent ``The Client'' but not as good as the other two.
The film performs a service in informing us about autism. In movies, autistic characters usually have a ``special gift.'' Here, young Tim, played with sincerity and directness by Ben Faulkner, a Baltimore schoolboy, can imitate other voices, although he seldom speaks with his own.
One character comments that his only knowledge about autism is from seeing ``Rain Man.'' It is a telling statement that also indicts the audience.
Dreyfuss departs from his usually showy haminess to give a mellow, assured performance. Lithgow has followed that lead and toned down his histrionics. Linda Hamilton plays Dreyfuss' wife, a role so inconsequential one wonders why she took it.
J.T. Walsh is the clueless small-town sheriff. Liv Tyler, daughter of Aerosmith's Steven Tyler, has the important role of Tim's protective older sister. She is not yet a polished actress but has the look of a young Elizabeth Taylor and may well emerge as a major star.
Bruce Beresford, the Australian who directed the Oscar-winning ``Driving Miss Daisy,'' keeps it all at a steady pace that lets the audience become attuned to the coastal Maryland atmosphere. The town is photographed to suggest a kind of autumn Americana. Seldom have interiors been shot to look so unlike sets. Interior decorators could well take a look at this film for reference; the homes are models of lived-in rustic.
As long as it sticks to relationships, ``Silent Fall'' is above average. It's only when it tries to become a standard murder mystery that it becomes ordinary. MEMO: MOVIE REVIEW
``Silent Fall''
Cast: Richard Dreyfuss, John Lithgow, Linda Hamilton, Ben Faulkner,
Liv Tyler, J.T. Walsh
Director: Bruce Beresford
Screenplay: Akiva Goldsman
Music: Stewart Copeland
MPAA rating: R (language and a murder)
Mal's rating: two and a half stars
Locations: Greenbrier in Norfolk; Circle 4 in Norfolk; Lynnhaven
Mall (upper level) in Virginia Beach by CNB