1 Silence (15)
(Martin Scorsese, 2016, Mex/Tai/US) 161 mins
Scorsese is in repentance mode with this austere, spiritual drama. Two Portuguese missionaries (Andrew Garfield and Adam Driver) are smuggled into 17th-century Japan, where Christians are violently persecuted, in search of a padre who’s apparently gone native. What follows is an earnest study of faiths – in crisis and in conflict. Non-believers may tire of its longueurs, but it’s a film of depth and devotion. Out on Sun
2 Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (12A)
(Gareth Edwards, 2016, US) 134 mins
The prospect of fresh Star Wars characters, locations and hardware is all many punters need. But despite the retrograde male domination (Felicity Jones excepted), this spinoff is pacy, action-packed, and rendered with a conviction that most effects movies lack.
3 Assassin’s Creed (12A)
(Justin Kurzel, 2016, UK/Fra/HK/US) 115 mins
The bestselling video game becomes a Matrix-like epic, throwing Michael Fassbender between high-tech prison movie and Spanish Inquisition swashbuckler. The complex mythology takes some explaining (it’s all to do with a secret Assassins v Templars war), but the action scenes are exhilarating, with rooftop and horseback chases that look agreeably non-digital. Out on Sun
4 The Son Of Joseph (12A)
(Eugène Green, 2016, Bel/Fra) 113 mins
This oddball French comedy contains hints of both Robert Bresson and Wes Anderson in its deadpan story of a young man seeking the identity of his father. Drawing on a range of cultural references, not least the Bible, it’s sophisticated without being pretentious.
5 Why Him? (15)
(John Hamburg, 2016, US) 111 mins
It’s not going to win any awards, but this Meet The Parents-style bromance is funny enough to pass muster. James Franco was possibly the only option for the part of an overbearing zillionaire dude, whose proposal to Bryan Cranston’s daughter is not exactly welcomed.
