Mute, movie (2018)
image © Domestic Dreams Productions
Article updated: 2021.06.23
The Mute (2018) is a futuristic thriller film. The movie was reviewed by Kadmon.
Product: Mute, movie (2018)
Original title: Mute
Series: Moon/Mute/Madi trilogy
Setting: future Earth (Mooniverse)
Previous entries in the series: Moon (2009)
Product type: Film, Genre: futuristic thriller, Style: sci-fi, thriller, action
Release: 2018.02.23
Reviewer: Kadmon, Type: Male, 40s, Preferences: Immersive, logical story, consistent setting, prefers surprises to spoilers, prefers establishing elements before referencing them
Watched: very recent (2021.01), first time
Rating: Average (2 out of 3 points), Enjoyment: Weak (2- out of 3 points)
* * *
This is my review of Mute, a futuristic thriller movie from 2018. It's about man trying to find his missing girlfriend in a futuristic city. The Mute film is not very interesting, but it looks great, so I recommend it to fans of cyberpunk stories.
If you'd like to be surprised by the Mute film, I don't recommend you to watch the trailer beyond 1:10, because it starts to gives away parts of the plot.
* * *
Review (spoiler-free) - Mute, movie (2018)
I've loved Moon, the previous film in the series, and I was waiting for the sequel. Then I've completely missed the release of Mute, and caught me by surprise when I've run into it. I've watched the movie without watching the trailer.
Mute is about is about man trying to find his missing girlfriend in a futuristic city.
Mute is a perfect film in every aspect, except for the story. The story is inconsistent, and overly complicated, without a proper resolution. There are no character arcs, that would matter.
Compared to Moon, Mute is probably a worse movie. Moon had great music, and an interesting plot. The only thing that Mute provides a better experience is the incredible visuals.
The cinematography is great, the scenes are visually interesting. The sets look very good and futuristic. Some reviewers pointed out there's graphic violence, I assume they are right, although I didn't notice that.
The characters are unlikable, although they are well developed and interesting. The actors are very good, they portrayed these characters very well.
The music (by Clint Mansell) was okay. As I otherwise like the works of Clint Mansell, I've listened to the score, and it has some good parts, but those were lost somehow in the movie itself. However, I still consider the Moon score better.
Mute is a great looking futuristic thriller, I think fans of the genre might be able to enjoy it.
My experience
I was not satisfied with Mute (2018). No matter how much I loved to watch the happenings, I've found the story uninteresting.
Rating: Average (2 out of 3 points). Mute is a great looking film, with good actors, but a weak story.
Enjoyment: Weak (2- out of 3 points). I found Mute boring.
Rewatchability: High. You can enjoy the vistas and themes even if you already know where will the story go.
Chance of watching it again: Maybe. Even though I couldn't care less about the story, the movie looked so good, I might watch it again for inspiration.
Chance of watching a sequel: Probably. Moon was great, this looked good, a sequel might be also good.
Mute, movie (2018)
image © Domestic Dreams Productions
Will you enjoy this?
If you like crime, mystery or thriller movies, you might like Mute.
If you like to play cyberpunk or other futuristic games, or write such stories, watching the movie just for the visuals might be worthwhile.
Do you need to know the other stories in the series to enjoy this?
There's practically no connection to the previous story (Moon, from 2009), so you'll understand what's going on without seeing the first film.
I didn't read Madi: Once Upon A Time in the Future (2020) yet, so I can't tell how relevant that is. The publisher of Madi stated that the story is independent from the previous Moon and Mute.
Watching for plot points
Even if you are interested in crime stories, I don't think it's worth watching the Mute movie for the plot points.
* * *
Mute, movie (2018)
image © Domestic Dreams Productions
Review with spoilers - Mute, movie (2018)
I didn't like the Mute movie.
In the end, it's quite frightening for me that the kid will spend her time with the protagonist, a violent psychopath, who can't control his anger. Her father might have neglected her, but at least he did everything to protect her. The pedophile guy may not be an ideal parent, but at least he would have given her a lot of presents. The protagonist will probably beat her if she acts in ways he doesn't like, and kids tend to do just that.
Cover
The covers for the movie are okay. They don't say much, but don't spoil the movie, and emphasise the visuals, that is the strength of the movie.
The trailer
The trailer is an interesting choice. It does show scenes up to the end of the movie, but the shots are cut in a way that you won't be able to predict what will the story be. However, if you have a good memory, you might remember these events, so you'll know that they will come up in the film.
If you prefer spoilers, it's a great trailer for the Mute film. If you prefer to avoid spoilers, don't watch the second half of the trailer.
Promise of the first scene
We see a German kid getting seriously damaged in a boating accident. I have no clue where will this lead, or what to expect from the movie.
Execution: The accident did get resolved in the very end, but it didn't really have anything to do with the plot itself.
Plot summary / Synopsis
There's a boy, who has an accident, that damages his throat, so he is unable to speak. As he belongs to the Amish religion, his family doesn't allow the doctors to repair his larynx.
Later, in a futuristic Berlin, we see the grown up boy, as a mute guy (Alexander Skarsgård as Leo). He works as a bartender, and his girlfriend (Seyneb Saleh as Naadirah) works at the same place.
We also see a black market doctor (Paul Rudd as Cactus Bill), who needs papers to leave the country with his daughter (Mia-Sophie and Lea-Marie Bastin as Josie). He works with a blond doctor (Justin Theroux as Duck). Both of them are hardened criminals.
One day, the mute guy can't find his girlfriend. He receives messages from her, but following those doesn't lead anywhere. During his search, he confronts criminals, causing some problems. He learns that his girlfriend was working as a prostitute as she desperately needed money to hire people to get her child back.
It turns out that the doctor was the father of the girlfriend's daughter, and he was responsible for the disappearence of the girlfriend. The blond doctor was the one who sent the messages to the mute guy to amuse himself. When the doctor finds out that the blond doctor is into child pornography, they fight, and this leads the blond doctor to send a message to the mute guy, leading him to the home of the doctor.
The mute guy confronts the doctor, and finds the dead body of his girlfriend. The mute guy sticks a knife into the doctor, and leaves with the body of his girlfriend. The blond doctor finds the dying body of the doctor, but instead of helping him, he taunts him with the possible things he'll do to his young daughter.
The blond doctor follows the mute guy, and knocks him out. He operates him, and installs a larynx, allowing him to speak. The blond doctor asks him to apologise for killing the doctor. He refuses, and kills the blond doctor. He takes the daughter with him.
The setting
Future of Earth, sometime in the middle/late 21th century.
They have electronic implants, flying cars, food delivery drones. As we know from the previous movie, they have a Moon base, and they can create adult clones.
Mute, movie (2018)
image © Domestic Dreams Productions
The message of the story
I'm not sure. "Don't get involved with gangsters."?
The structure of the story
The scenes of the Mute film are mostly played in sequence, following the same storyline, with one flashback, explaining a part of the story from another character's point of view.
It has the usual arc of the dramatic structure - beginning, action, resolution.
Fan-service
There's a short scene with the protagonist of the previous movie, Moon, where we see him and his clones in a trial.
* * *
Things I liked
- The futuristic setting was gorgeous.
- It was interesting for me that the story was set in Berlin. Most American and English stories are set in those two countries, a German setting was a nice change.
- It was interesting that the doctor had a daughter, and he had to organise babysitting for her, while he went on doing criminal activities.
* * *
How does it compare to the other works of the creators?
I have seen most of the movies of the director (Duncan Jones). Moon and Source Code was great, Warcraft was watchable. I still think he's a good director.
I have seen some of the movies of the writers (Duncan Jones, Michael Robert Johnson). From Duncan Jones, I liked Moon, but Warcraft was average. From , I've only seen Sherlock Holmes (2009), that was okay. All of those were better than Mute.
How does it compare to the other stories in the series?
Moon (2009) was better.
I haven't read Madi: Once Upon A Time in the Future (2020) yet.
* * *
Mute, movie (2018)
image © Domestic Dreams Productions
Analysis of the story - Mute, movie (2018)
I didn't like the story. It has multiple problems that prevented me from enjoying Mute.
Problematic elements
Setting: Although I have to admit that I've watched this film because of the futuristic aspect, and the futuristic world was beautiful in the movie, the whole futuristic setting was totally unnecessary for the story. This is a straight up gangster story, that would have worked out the same if it were set in a contemporary setting.
Germany: Except for the occasional German speeches, there was nothing that would have connected the story to Germany. The only thing slightly European was the cobblestone road, but even that is questionable, as by the time they build all those sci-fi skyscrapers and flying cars, I'd assume they are able to create a new pavement for their roads. Also, when they announced something, first it was told in English, then in German. I'm pretty sure it would be the other way around, at least, they currently do it that way.
The mute guy: Although it was fun to see a mute guy trying to make people understand him, I'm not entirely sure his lack of speech was an integral part of the story. I feel the communication scenes just slow the movie down. If the plot had something to do with his disability, that would have been great. Or if he had to pass some obstacle, that would have require him to talk.
Amish religion: Although I'm not an expert on Amish religion, but one of the plot points was that the mute guy didn't use electronic gadgets because of his adherence to the Amish dogma. Yet, he was a aggressive brute, who tried to solve his problems with violence. I'm almost sure that the Amish are also not allowed to maim and kill people. So, if he is already breaking Amish laws, he might as well use electronic devices to help with his daily life. Also, I assume that he is not married with his girlfriend, yet he seems to getting to know her in a biblical sense. I'd think that's against his religion.
The blond doctor: The acts of the blond doctor didn't match his personality. In the end we see that he is cruel, sending messages the mute guy, tormenting his dying partner, and he is ready to kill the mute protagonist. It was his cruelty that set up the whole story, with his taunting messages to the mute guy, so that part seems to be essential for the plot. However, beyond these acts, there's nothing that would show his cruel personality. He seems to be a passive person, more balanced than the other doctor. He didn't seem to fit into the rest of the gang. Even when they were torturing that gangster, he didn't seem to be particularly interested.
References: I didn't like the outside references. The two doctors playing MASH might have worked better had they acknowledge that they are playing the characters from the film. MASH was great, but seeing it in this film was just irritating. The addition of references to Moon just took me out of the story, and that's not good. There's nothing that would connect this story to Moon, and there's nothing in those snippets that would add to the story of Moon.
Flashback: I didn't like that they handled the capture of the girl in a flashback that was just thrown into the film. There were no other flashbacks, and the reveal could have worked just as well if they didn't show it to us how it happened. If they really wanted to have this flashback, they should have sprinkled the story with more flashbacks, every time someone was telling something about the past.
The main character: The protagonist is a violent psychopath, although we see that he got some strict religious upbringing. How did he turn out who he is? It would have been nice to see that. Also, as he can't control his temper, and he gets into fights with patrons on a daily basis, he probably can't hold his jobs for long.
Freezer: Why does the mute guy open the freezer, when there's a quite visible dead body lying beside it? It just takes time away from the story.
Double ending: The story ends once with the protagonist leaving the house with his dead girlfriend. Then we get another ending, with the blond doctor taking the mute guy back to the house, that ends with the mute guy killing the blond doctor. Although the second ending has some good scenes, I'm not sure we really need to spend additional time with it.
Unanswered questions
* * *
Possibilities of improvement
Cut the scene with the damaged boy. It's not important how he got mute.
Start the story with the mute guy getting a job as a bartender, and spending his first day there. This makes his behaviour more acceptable.
End the story with the protagonist getting out of the house with the dead girl. Maybe there could be an epilogue with him spending time with the kid. There's no need for the scenes with the second doctor.
How it could have been better?
Muteness: Either involve his disability to talk into the plot, or leave it altogether.
Main characters: The whole story would probably work better, if the main characters were the doctors. The story could start with them, working in the clinic, establishing the characters. Then they run into the mute guy in the bar they visit. The doctor tries to get his papers, and gets rid of his girlfriend, but in the process he gets in an argument with the blond doctor. The blond doctor sends the mute guy to the doctor as a revenge, but in the end, the blond doctor also gets killed. Something like this. It would probably make a more complete story, instead of spending time watching the mute guy walk around the city.
* * *
Mute, movie (2018)
image © Domestic Dreams Productions
Uses for the film - Mute, movie (2018)
Plot
- A doctor (who probably deserted from the military), needs forged papers to leave the country.
- A woman divorced from her husband, but the husband took their child. The woman needs money to hire people to get back her child.
- A man stole a phone, and he sends texts to his amusement, leading to confusion.
- A character's partner goes missing.
Scenes
Almost every scene can be useful to show a near-future city. There are glowing signs, flying drones, skyscrapers, anything you need.
This film is a must see for any fans of cyberpunk or tech noir stories.
Scenario ideas - Role-playing game scenario ideas
Scenario ideas - Wargame scenario ideas
Miniatures - 1/50-1/60 (28-32mm scale)
Characters: Modern or futuristic human-sized civilians.
Scenery: Futuristic scenery. Scenery for the Infinity range fits the movie fine.
* * *
Similar stories - Mute, movie (2018)
Novels
Frederik Pohl: The Merchants' War (1984): Set in a similar futuristic setting.
Frederik Pohl: Gateway (1977): Set in a similar futuristic setting.
Frederik Pohl: Gladiator-At-Law (1955, revised 1986): Set in a similar futuristic setting.
Neal Stephenson: Snow Crash (1992): Set in a similar futuristic setting.
Philip K. Dick: Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep (1968): Set in a similar futuristic setting.
William Gibson: Neuromancer (1984): Set in a similar futuristic setting.
Graphic novels
Sinister Dexter (in 2000AD): Crime story, set in a similar futuristic setting.
Movies
Blade Runner (1982): Set in a similar futuristic setting. Based on Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep. It's definitely a better film than Mute.
Blade Runner 2049 (2017): Set in a similar futuristic setting. Sequel to Blade Runner. I think it's comparable to Mute.
Brazil (1985): Set in a similar futuristic setting.
Strange Days (1995): Crime story, set in a similar futuristic setting. Although it's been a while since I've seen it, I remember it as a better movie than Mute.
TV series & episodes
Computer games
Cyberpunk 2077: Set in a similar futuristic setting.
Tabletop Games
Cyberpunk / Cyberpunk 2020 / Cyberpunk 2077: Set in a similar futuristic setting.
* * *
Frequently asked questions - Mute, movie (2018)
Is the Mute film based on a book or comics?
No, Mute is not based on either books or comics.
Is there a post credit scene in Mute?
No, as I recall, there's no post credit scene in Mute.
Where can I watch Mute online? Is Mute available on Netflix? Is Mute on Amazon?
As of 2021.06.02, Mute is on Netflix.
* * *
Resources - Mute, movie (2018)
Official
Mute: Official article.
Information
IMDB: Mute (2018): Database article.
WikiPedia: Mute (2018 film): Database article.
Letterboxd: Mute 2018: Database article.
Rotten Tomatoes: Mute (2017): Database article.
Reviews with no spoilers - Mute film (2018)
: Review video about the Mute film with no spoilers.¤
Reviews with spoilers - Mute film (2018)
Dan Owen (for Frame Rated): MUTE (2018): Review article of the Mute movie, with spoilers.
Leah Schnelbach (for Tor): Duncan Jones’ Mute is the Weirdest Witness Fan Fiction I’ve Ever Seen: Review article of the Mute movie, with spoilers.
Analysis - Mute movie (2018)
* * *
Buying the product - Mute, movie (2018)
* * *
Have you seen the Mute film? How do you like the movie? Would you recommend it to others? Do you know reviews or resources you'd like to add? What further thoughts do you have about it? Tell your opinion in the comments!
Comments powered by CComment