Mute (2018) Review

"He doesn't need words."

-Naadirah

Leo (Alexander Skarsgård) is a bartender who was left mute after a childhood accident.  When his girlfriend, Naadirah (Seyneb Saleh), goes missing, Leo is forced to delve deep into the underworld of Berlin to find her.  On his journey, he meets many violent and shady characters, including two surgeons, Cactus Bill (Paul Rudd) and Duck (Justin Theroux), who have problems of their own with Bill trying to flee the country.  Their paths are all on a collision course of violence and depravity.

What Works:

I gotta say, Mute is a beautiful movie on its surface.  The visuals are breathtaking and there some really excellent shots, not to mention a few really cool practical effects.  Also, Alexander Skarsgård does a solid job with what he is given.  Unfortunately, this is all wasted as you'll see when we get to the "What Sucks" section...

What Sucks:

I need to take a shower after watching this movie.  It's really gross, and not in the fun way.  Justin Theroux and Paul Rudd's characters are utterly unlikeable and despicable, but we spend a good half of the movie with their characters.  It's fine to have unlikeable characters, especially if they are the antagonists, but Duck and Cactus Bill are set up as secondary protagonists for a good chunk of the movie.  It's really unclear how we are supposed to feel about them until the end of the movie, but they are no fun to be around.  Cactus Bill is just a massive a**hole and Duck is a pedophile, and when Bill finds out about his friend, he gets over it pretty quick.  It's really gross and not fun to watch in the slightest, as they probably get the most screen time out of all the characters.  And since they are set up as secondary protagonists, it really brings all enjoyment of this movie to a screeching halt.

Although Alexander Skarsgård does a solid job, his story isn't that interesting.  The sad thing is; it could have been interesting if it was better executed.  Having a mute man searching the underworld for his girlfriend sounds great on paper, but the narrative feels really disjointed.  The story isn't interesting enough and the characters aren't likable enough for me to care.

Finally, Mute is a spiritual sequel to Moon, which is a much superior movie.  Throughout the film, we occasionally see Sam Bell (Sam Rockwell), the main character from Moon, on TV in the background.  But it adds nothing to the story and could be completely cut out and it wouldn't change the movie at all.  It feels unnecessary and almost like a gimmick to drum up interest in this film.

Verdict:

It's a shame.  Mute has such cool visuals and practical effects, plus the potential for a really interesting world, but it is all wasted simply because the story isn't interesting and the focus of the film is on disgusting characters that no one wants to watch.  What could have been a great move is now one of the worst of 2018.  Stay far, far away from this one.  Just watch Moon and don't bother with Mute. 

 2/10: Disgusting, But Not In A Fun Way