Review of Mute (2018) by Mmadnessgames — 19 Apr 2018

Sort of like a mix between Baby Driver and the Fifth Element.

The Baby Driver bits detracted (really didn't like that film) but the weird science fiction bits kept me interested enough to watch it till the end. "It's an inconsistent film," would be an understatement. It's like a bad Philip K. Dick novel. But - for me - that's sort of a good thing.

I like Mute because it tries to do something different. It puts itself out there, rather than simply mimicking it's neighbour. The film takes inspiration from all sorts of sources. Consequently, there are too many tonal shifts throughout the film. It jumps from action to outright comedy to horror, but it lacks the ability to do so gracefully.

Paul Rudd was miscast. He has no range. I said this about "Our Idiot Brother". He shouldn't be cast in roles that demand acting. He is a celebrity personality, like Seth Rogen.

Justin Theroux is superb as Duck.

The main character - more so than Baby, in Baby Driver - is hard to relate to. Not just because he's mute, but because he's a mute guy with anger issues who selfishly justifies smashing people in the head with big blunt objects.

I have a bit of an issue rooting for someone who gives everyone that stands in his way brain damage, unless it is clearly established these are evil people... Not that I really believe in good versus evil. It's just hard to endorse a film set in a realistic Earth-bound world that promotes and/or stylises extreme violence against random individuals without addressing this ethically.

It doesn't bother me that the Rebels kill the Empirical soldiers in the original Star Wars trilogy, because that's black-and-white good-versus-evil fantasy stuff... and they go great lengths to justify it anyway.

The collateral damage caused by vengeful protagonists often seems to be of a much higher magnitude than that inspired the vengeance.

Mute doesn't know what it wants to be. It is an awkward mix of genres and ideas. I both like and dislike this, about the film...

Most people hated Southland Tales (the follow up film from Donny Darko director Richard Kelly), but I sort of like it on some level... At the very least, like Mute, it is different enough to be memorable.