Mute (Spoilers)

[Werthead]

On 26/02/2018 at 5:09 AM, dmc515 said:

So, generally, could I say you guys were fans of Cactus Bill?

The performance, sure. I bet Rudd was relishing every chance he had to play against type.

[Ran]

17 minutes ago, Werthead said:

The performance, sure. I bet Rudd was relishing every chance he had to play against type.

Yeah. It was definitely something different from him. My limited experience of him is various comedic or light romantic comedy type stuff. He does it well, but it's clear he's kind of pigeonholed, and Cactus was very much outside of that box.

[DMC]

On 2/24/2018 at 8:37 AM, Werthead said:

I think it's two interesting ideas that have been mashed together in a way that doesn't make sense.

I think this is a fair way to put it, although I'd specify (or put it nicer) that it's two ideas that weren't synthesized with proper execution.

On 2/24/2018 at 8:37 AM, Werthead said:

use of Nirvana's "Heart-Shaped Box"

That was definitely one of the highlights.  Anyway, nice review.  I particularly liked this:

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Alexander Skarsgard plays our non-speaking protagonist Leo with a lot of intensity, putting to use the years of brooding he finely honed on True Blood. He makes for an interesting lead you can't help but root for, even if you're not quite sure how he puts together the clues needed to follow his missing girlfriend's trail

Spot on.

On 2/24/2018 at 3:21 PM, drawkcabi said:

The other thing with Duck that REALLY bothered me was giving Leo the voice box just to hear him say "thank you" or "I'm sorry" or whatever it was. Jones could have so easily worked a better way in the plot, without much change at all (even if the plot could have benefited from some significant changes) for Duck giving Leo his voice.

Yep, there's no way around this.  There's really no point as to why Duck wants to give Leo the box, let alone why he wants to kill him on the bridge in front of a camera we are shown.  The whole thing is not only inorganic, I'm still wondering why the viewer needs to know the bridge climax is being filmed.

On 2/24/2018 at 3:35 PM, Ran said:

the Dominic Monaghan sequence -- I didn't recognize him with all that makeup -- was one example

Well then you, sir, clearly have not watched both LOTR and LOST the dozens of times I have to the point you recognize his voice before your own mother's.

I think one of the main structural problems of the film is the inciting incident - Naadirah's disappearance - is never really fully realized even though it's posed as a mystery.  Sure, we know her fate, but after such a journey with Leo, I think the viewer is entitled to a more thorough explanation as to why Cactus Bill killed her, and particularly why he killed her at that point.  This never lands, because we're immediately distracted and taken off into Duck's gambit.

Another complaint I haven't seen is the score, particularly in the first act.  It's overly cliched-futuristic and took me out of it.  I think the score throughout could have been much more understated.  As has been mentioned, this was basically a neo-noir in future Berlin.  Noirs don't have the type of heavy-handed piano we got even after the synthesizer abuse.  

As for the positives, as has been said, the atmosphere maintained a grittiness that lends itself well throughout.  The barebones is a great concept in my book; the disabled hero, the war-deranged father, and the daughter in-between - and, yes, even the pedophile sidekick.  Plus, I thought the performances were all exemplary and the dialogue, which can easily come off hackneyed, was generally well done.  I'm just not sure future Berlin was the right backdrop for the film.  It could have easily been done in a less ambitious landscape that would have allowed us to care more about each and every player.  Of course, getting such a movie funded...well, there ya go.

[Werthead]

 

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The whole thing is not only inorganic, I'm still wondering why the viewer needs to know the bridge climax is being filmed.

So we understand why Leo hasn't been arrested later on as he was clearly operating in self defence? Only thing I can think of.