The Great Silence may end up waiting some time before it’s commonly regarded as one of the greatest westerns, which is unfortunate as the film’s effect is immediate. The unique snowy backdrops impact the dialogue and scenes wonderfully, Klaus Kinski plays a suitably psychotic and manipulative villain, and for its modest length the film has many fully realized subplots and tense scenes. Daring, yet in seemingly small ways at first, but sticks to tradition when it knows that’s what’s most effective.