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Martin Scorsese has said that it took him 30 years to get "Silence" to the screen.

That delay was all to the good, because this heart-wrenching drama of faith and loss is a story that only a mature filmmaker — even one with Scorsese's many gifts — could make.

The story, adapted from Shûsaku Endô's 1966 historical novel, begins with a letter written in 1633. The writer, Father Ferreira (Liam Neeson), is a Jesuit missionary who has witnessed unspeakable horrors as the Japanese government has cracked down on outsiders and Christians. Priests and faithful are tortured with scalding water from hot springs, then left to die in the heat.

Father Ferreira's letter is read back in Portugal by Father Valignano (Ciarán Hinds) to two of Ferreira's protégés: young priests Sebastião Rodrigues (Andrew Garfield) and Francisco Garrpe (Adam Driver). Valignano also delivers the news that the letter took years to arrive, and was delivered by a sea captain who also reported that Ferreira had committed the worst of sins: Apostasy, or publicly declaring Holy Mother Church to be false.

Rodrigues and Garrpe cannot believe Ferreira has forsaken his vows. They demand that Valignano send them as missionaries to Japan to find Ferreira and to minister to whatever Christians still remain under Japanese persecution. Valignano reluctantly agrees, but tells them they will be the last two missionaries sent to Japan.

The young Jesuits travel to Macau and find a ship that will sneak them into Japan, guided by an alcoholic fisherman, Kichijiro (Yôsuke Kubozuka). They arrive at a coastal town, where they are befriended by a small, scared group of Kakure Kirishitan — "hidden Christians." Soon, though, a samurai (Issei Ogata) comes through the village and takes hostages who will be killed if they do not forswear their Christianity and step on an icon of Jesus. Three hostages refuse and are put to death, while the fourth, the weak-willed Kichijiro, complies and is freed to live with his shame.

Rodrigues and Garrpe are shocked by the Japanese officials' brutal crackdown on Western religion, but inspired by the Kakure Kirishitan's resolve to maintain their faith. The courage they get from these underground Christians is put to the test when Rodrigues is captured and subjected to witnessing the suffering of his flock — and made to question whether his resolve comes from faith or arrogance.

These are powerful ideas to contemplate in a motion picture, and Scorsese and co-screenwriter Jay Cocks (the two collaborated on "The Age of Innocence" and "Gangs of New York") take the time to bring them to full flower. Much of the plot is driven by a pair of theological questions: Can the Christian faith grow anywhere, as Rodrigues believes, or is Japan unique — a swamp, to use the samurai's word, where the seed of Christianity cannot take root? And is a missionary's work measured by the number of converts, or is it judged by the example of his own faith?

Scorsese also uses that time to coax some powerful performances from the cast. Garfield is particularly moving as Rodrigues, wrestling with faith and doubt when his prayers to God are met with silence. Driver proves himself a worthy sidekick, while Neeson mixes placidity and self-sacrifice in a fascinating combination. Among the standouts in the Japanese cast are Yoshi Oida and Shin'ya Tsukamoto as two of the leaders of the Kakure Kirishitan who show the Jesuits the price they are willing to pay for their faith.

Though "Silence" runs nearly three hours, not a frame of it feels wasted. Scorsese, at 74, has the patience to show the audience the depth of the underground Christians' belief, the Japanese hostility to Westerners' righteous certainty, and the young priests' struggle to reconcile their responsibilities to God with those to their fellow human beings. Scorsese connects the physical with the spiritual, so that "Silence" speaks volumes about the relationship between humankind and God.

Twitter: @moviecricket —

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'Silence'

Two 17th-century Portuguese Jesuits travel to Japan, where Christianity has been forbidden, in Martin Scorsese's powerful drama about faith and sacrifice.

Where • Area theaters.

When • Opens Friday, Jan. 13.

Rating • R for some disturbing violent content.

Running time • 161 minutes.