Mute

Mute (2018)

Runtime: 126 long minutes

Directed by: Duncan Jones

Starring: Alexander Skarsgard, Paul Rudd, Justin Theroux, Robert Sheeran, Seyneb Saleh

From: Netflix

No one should confuse me with Sherlock Holmes, Hercule Poirot, or even Benoit Blanc.

Recently, I finally saw 2009’s Moon and my opinion agreed w/ the majority in giving the film a high rating. I then pondered what happened to him and why this was the last film of his that was released. A cursory search was done to discover some information. I was so smart, visiting his IMDb page didn’t even cross my mind, as people here and elsewhere mentioned. I knew he wanted to make a movie based on the Rogue Trooper comic-well, that’s now in post-production. Perhaps I’m more like Inspector Clouseau instead!

Yes, I do have Netflix for this month; in later reviews I’ll say more about that. Hopefully I’ll see better movies than Mute, something I’ve always heard bad things about, including recently in a messageboard thread when discussion over Paul Rudd occurred. People didn’t care for his atypical CACTUS BILL villain role-me neither, funny mustache aside. The story—I didn’t really like it. What a character portrayed by Justin Theroux; I mean that as a negative, even if he (to steal a line) wore a Robert Redford wig.

Alexander Skarsgard is the titular mute; I laughed that there was an AMISH proverb as the quote that appeared on screen to begin the film-soon I learned that our lead was also Amish, stricken mute via childhood accident and despite this, leaves in near-future Berlin. I laughed again at this bizarre character. He has a blue-haired girlfriend who goes missing and he searches for her. How this ties in to weird Cactus Bill and his even weirder “friend” DUCK, I won’t reveal… it isn’t as profound as the movie would want you to believe.

The most flagrant fault with Mute… the story appears to be competent and somewhat interesting at first—but it isn’t long after girlfriend Naadirah disappears, that the movie just lurches & stumbles along in a boring plot with off-putting characters (especially one who has an extremely gross trait. I don’t see how that plot point was necessary for the plot and only served to turn me off) and everything’s just so muddled, so disarrayed, so flat, so forgettable—when it wasn’t unpleasant and nauseating. Mute became worse and worse the farther you got into the film.

It's a shame the plot is a nothing-burger; the visual aesthetics, the “obviously inspired by Blade Runner” vibes that were still visually appealing to me, the quite enjoyable Clint Mansell score-that was far more interesting than the story. I was so entranced by Moon, that makes the failings of Mute’s failings many degrees stronger. Furthermore, as a straight dude, I’m unsure what the LGBTQ+ community thought of more than one character in Mute- “revulsion” could be a valid reaction.

I don’t loathe the movie like some do; other compliments include me guffawing at the weirdo dude dressed like a geisha girl, or another guy with hair like he wanted to join A Flock of Seagulls. However, I hope it isn’t unreasonable for me to demand & request loftier standards from both original sci-fi pictures and what Netflix releases exclusively on their platform. I pray that Rogue Trooper is better than Mute.