Upamanyu Biswas
‘The Silent Hour’ depicts a harrowing tale of survival in an abandoned building told through the perspective of a Boston detective diagnosed with degenerative hearing loss. After suffering a life-changing injury during a mission, Frank Shaw finds himself at a difficult crossroads in his life as he contends with his newfound hearing issues. However, his life is upended further when he gets engulfed in a massive conspiracy involving a deaf photographer named Ava, who witnesses a hit on the streets. Subsequently, Frank has to protect her while a number of mercenaries show up to silence her permanently.
Near the film’s end, the high-stakes thriller narrative reaches a crescendo as Frank and Ava’s escape plans are thwarted by a familiar figure who reveals himself to be a traitor. Meanwhile, the former has to dig deep and find ways of harnessing his hearing issues after his mechanical aids run out of power. To make matters worse, they are surrounded on all sides by more men looking to hunt them down. Everything goes particularly bad when the enemies finally lay their hands on Frank and Ava, the latter being the first to be silenced. However, Frank does not see it as the end, finding his inner resourcefulness in handy to try and save Ava and mount a final escape! SPOILERS AHEAD.
The Silent Hour Plot Synopsis
Frank Shaw is a detective in the Boston Police Department who is partnered with longtime friend Doug Slater. Despite living on his own, the protagonist loves to connect with his daughter, Sam, who is an aspiring singer and his emotional anchor. One day, before heading into a police mission, Slater warns Frank about calming himself in certain situations. The latter ignores it as he chases after a guilty foreman in a dockyard. His exuberance leads him to slam into a nearby car, causing him to develop issues with his hearing, which only becomes worse with time. Several months later, Frank utilizes hearing aids to go about his business on a normal basis. However, he struggles with his newfound issues, pondering whether he should retire. Even his relationship with his daughter is strained.
As a consequence of his diagnosis, Frank learns to sign. When a double homicide case pops up in the neighborhood, Slater requests Frank to act as an interpreter for a deaf witness named Ava Fremont, who called into the police station saying she had evidence about what happened. Although Ava is hesitant to speak through a non-professional translator, she decides to accept Frank’s request, seeing that he is suffering from the same issues she is. During her interrogation, Slater and Frank learn that Ava has a video recording of who killed the men on the streets. While sneaking around her apartment, the protagonist also realizes that she was a drug user in the past. He and Slater leave the apartment, slightly suspicious of her. Halfway to the station, Frank realizes he left his phone in the apartment and returns to get it back.
After entering the building, Frank is immediately concerned by the strange men he witnesses outside Ava’s door. He sneaks out through the fire exit and realizes Ava is being held by a group of men who are looking to silence her for the information she has on the hit. Subsequently, he charges in and saves her life. The two then engage in a game of cat and mouse with the mercenary crew. After several trials, Frank comes to the shocking conclusion that the people after them are police officers themselves. He and Ava manage to get their hands on one of the thug’s phones, using it to call Slater and inform him about their plight. He assures them he is heading in to save them. Meanwhile, Frank’s hearing aid loses its battery power, and both he and Ava are stuck defending themselves without the ability to hear.
The Silent Hour Ending: Why Does Slater Show Up Alone?
During the final act, Frank and Ava feel relieved after informing Slater about their precarious situation. They are even more thankful when he promises to show up with backup, intending to take down the corrupt police officers inside the building. However, while spying through the windows, they are surprised that Slater shows up alone, armed with only his pistol. Concerned that the attackers might kill his friend, Frank rushes down the elevator shaft with Ava, hoping to intercept him before any harm comes to him. Unbeknownst to the protagonist, his longtime friend is nothing but a traitor and one of the main reasons why he and Ava are in the situation they are in. Hence, he shows up alone, knowing he is going to aid the thugs in capturing Frank and Ava.
Soon after the pair reach the ground floor lobby, they find that Slater is being cornered by Sal, one of the goons on the payroll. The standoff forces Frank to let go of his gun, as Slater might be hurt in the process. Unfortunately, the moment Sal disarms the protagonist, he allows Slater to pick up his gun, showcasing that the latter is part of the group. The crushing blow is further exacerbated when Slater apologizes to Frank for things having to come down to this level. Subsequently, the rest of the thugs surround Frank and Ava and inject the latter with drugs. Slater then tries to negotiate with Frank and bring him on the payroll like the rest of them, as he does not wish to kill the protagonist in cold blood. Frank accepts the offer but reneges on the deal as it is just a ploy to catch them off-guard.
What Happens to Mason and His Crew? Does He Kill Slater?
The main instigator of the corrupt police officers hunting Frank and Ava is Mason. He and his crew seek to end Ava’s life as she possesses incriminating evidence about the hit. But, for most of the narrative, they find themselves second best in capturing the two central characters. Soon after escaping from the crew’s clutches by maintaining that he wants to be part of the payroll, Frank shuts them inside the elevator and goes to save Ava, who is overdosing on drugs. He injects a medication into her, which helps Ava regain consciousness. However, the latter has ten minutes before the medicine loses its effects. Frank then uses his ingenuity to set the apartment on fire, which sends a smoke signal to the rest of the city. Consequently, Mason’s crew leaves, fearing they might be caught, as many bystanders gather on the streets.
Meanwhile, Mason forces Slater to help him hunt down Frank and Ava. The two rush into Dante’s apartment, a fellow resident who plays loud music in his room that can also be heard outside. At this point, Mason is unable to see clearly as Frank and Ava douse him in acetone. He sends Slater into the apartment to kill them in his stead while he heads into another part of the apartment. Using the loudspeakers in the house, Ava and Frank stun Slater with metal music, which causes him to stumble out of the apartment and get shot by Mason. He dies, and Frank finds his dead body while leaving the house. When Ava faints, the protagonist uses her body as bait to lure Mason in and knock him out with a blow from an inanimate object. Subsequently, Frank rushes out of the apartment, hoping to save Ava.
Does Frank Save Ava?
In the film’s final moments, a distraught Frank hands over Ava’s unconscious body to the ambulance crew downstairs. They begin using emergency methods to resuscitate her while the camera zooms in on the protagonist’s concerned expression. However, her fate is left as a mystery as the story jumps into the future. Frank finally visits his daughter’s recital, showing that he listened to Ava’s advice from earlier. He looks around the crowd and takes in their appreciation of Sam’s singing, enjoying her performance through their reactions. A few minutes later, Ava walks in through the door and sits beside Frank, signifying that she survived her ordeal with the overdose incident. She holds Frank’s hand, displaying the connection they have built with one another through the narrative.
Although the two begin the story as strangers and on slightly different ends of the spectrum, their bond is strengthened by the end. Ava helps Frank with his hearing condition, as she is one of the few people who can relate to his newfound issues. Also, without the latter’s help, Ava would not have survived the assault on the building. Therefore, the two manage to find a sense of kinship with one another that goes beyond a normal relationship. Whether it is a romantic or platonic kind is left unclear. However, what is important is how they managed to help each other through different challenges. Moreover, Frank has accepted his hearing loss as a part of his identity, which is something he would never have achieved without Ava’s support. It allows him to reconnect with his daughter, the most vital thing in his life.
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