Dr Cult-O M.E. | Independent Movie Review
REVIEW
A Netflix exclusive of Duncan Jones’ newest release “Mute” , a futuristic retread of Blade Runner style noir that has some overwhelming imagery and genuinely amazing art design. If you liked Jones’ debut film “Moon” (Ridley Scott influenced that film also), you can tell his storytelling is tricky.
Is it any good? Sure for the most part with two storylines that connect in the third act, to lead to an uneven resolve at the ending.
The title character is a mute bartender in a criminal underbelly of Berlin, nightclubs and brothel’s and drug dens. Leo the mute (Alexander Skarsgard doing a tender performance) is in love with a barmaid. He awakens one day to find her missing. He thinks she has been taken by some criminal elements, maybe a double life as a hooker.
The other story is a pair of back alley doctors for the Russian mob, pulling bullets and nasty clean-up to thugs and thieves. Cactus Bill (Paul Rudd) and Duck (Justin Theroux) are Jones’ homage to Altman’s M*A*S*H* (Gould and Sutherland), both have dark secrets that they don’t share with each other but when the truth rises, they become even more viscous to themselves and others.
Jones lines things up to be a futuristic noir classic but fails to make it fun, just dark and over the top. Jones cops out on potential fight scenes by cutting away to the next scene.
I did think of Jackie Gleason’s “Gigot” as a similar story, and I enjoyed the in-jokes about his debut “Moon” (cameo any multiple Sam Rockwells). Nice effort and its worth the watch.
