93. Mute; movie review

MUTE
Cert 15
126 mins
BBFC advice: Contains strong language, sex references, violence, injury detail

Weird, violent, dark and compelling. All four could be applied to Duncan Jones' futuristic thriller but perseverance is required.
Mute stars Alexander Skarsgård as Leo - an Amish bar tender, left without speech after a motor-boat accident when he was a child.
His mother adhered to her beliefs and refused to allow him what would have been a straightforward operation to save his voice, instead leaving him in the hands of God.
However, decades later, there is no obvious resentment from Leo who, initially, appears to embrace the principles of his upbringing...
Except that he works in a dive bar, has a violent temper and has pre-marital sex with a girlfriend (Seyneb Saleh) of dubious morals.
When she goes missing, he goes in search and ends up confronting the crime lords who run the dystopian version of Berlin in which the movie is set.
Meanwhile, Paul Rudd is the latest comic to go straight as an unhinged medic who carries out secret ops, either saving the bad guys or torturing their prey.
Rudd's character, Cactus, seems to be without a moral compass until he is compared with his best friend (Justin Theroux) who has a penchant for young children.
There a clear signs of a David Lynch influence during Mute. Its violence, perversions and weird tangents are all Lynch hallmarks.
Meanwhile, the dark, science-fiction type backdrop gives it a Blade Runner feel.
Apparently, it is a companion piece for Jones's excellent Moon - there is one very brief reference to it - but it is entirely different.
And it is dedicated to Jones's father - David Bowie.
The more I thought about that the more sense it made. Bowie's complex and often baffling lyrics in nevertheless superb songs such as Life On Mars would have made an apt accompaniment.
Perhaps Jones has inherited that free spirit. I would certainly like to see more of his work even if it is off the wall.

Reasons to watch: David Lynch meets Blade Runner
Reasons to avoid: It goes off at some very weird tangents

Laughs: None
Jumps: None
Vomit: Yes
Nudity: None
Overall rating: 7.5/10

Director quote - Duncan Jones: "Studios don’t really have any support mechanism for original content and I think streaming has filled that place up. I think Netflix, Amazon, Apple are there and are willing to make the films that the studios no longer make."

The big question: How much of David Bowie's vision has his son inherited?

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