Netflix’s 2018 sci-fi thriller “Mute,” directed by Duncan Jones, is all about a dystopian world of dazzling neon lights, flying vehicles, and a dark and brooding atmosphere that screams “Blade Runner Wannabe.” With a tortured protagonist, his quest to find the love of his life, and the underworld’s looming threat over his shoulder– this film has every necessary spice to make it look compelling. Still, its constant effort to look edgy and a forced ambiguity at the end fails to leave a lasting impact. Starring some of the Hollywood A-listers, Alexander Skarsgård as Leo Beiler, Paul Rudd as Cactus Bill, and Justin Theroux as Duck Teddington, “Mute” aims to deliver a pensive sci-fi noir but becomes a clumsy attempt to recreate an old recipe that lacks the substance.
Mute (2018) Plot Summary & Movie Synopsis:
“Mute” revolves around Leo Beiler, a mute bartender who has a terrible past that has caused him to lose his speech. His vocal cord was damaged in an accident in his childhood, and due to his religious Amish background, his mother refused to have any reconstructive surgery. He lives in a futuristic Berlin, where he falls in love with a woman called Naadirah. But one day, when Naadirah goes missing, Leo embarks on his journey to find her. On the other hand, two former military surgeons, Cactus Bill and Duck Teddington, are introduced to us. They work for a Russian criminal kingpin named Maksim, who has promised Bill a foreign passport and ID to help him leave Berlin. However, Bill’s plan to leave the city with his little daughter terribly fails, as both his and Leo’s fates intertwine due to a mutual connection to their past.
What is the secret relationship between Naadirah and Bill?
The crime lord, Maksim, owns a vibrant bar where Leo and Naadirah (Seyneb Saleh) work together. While Naadirah loves Leo passionately, she possesses some dark secrets in her life that she keeps from her boyfriend. Meanwhile, Cactus Bill, who seems to be a flawed yet kindhearted man at the beginning of this film, becomes the ultimate antagonist of the story. He has a little daughter named Josie, whom he wants to protect at all costs. He’s desperate to leave Berlin, taking his daughter along with him.
At first, it seems a bit vague, but later, we understand his reasons. He wants to keep his daughter away from Naadirah, his ex-girlfriend and Josie’s biological mother. After they become parents and separate, Naadirah intends to give her daughter a safe future by taking her custody, but Bill doesn’t want to let that happen. Bill threatens to kill Naadirah and becomes jealous when he sees her being happy with a different guy. So, one day, out of jealousy and wrath, he kidnaps Naadirah at night after she spends a romantic time with Leo. Bill secretly sedates both of them and forcibly takes Naadirah to his place. He wraps her with a thick plastic and holds her hostage in his basement until she takes her last breath.
Who is Maksim? What is he up to?
Maksim (Gilbert Owuor) is a Russian crime lord controlling Berlin’s dark, seedy underbelly. Most of the vibrant bars, nightclubs, and sex work are owned by this mob boss. The film doesn’t explicitly showcase the crime lord’s extended business. Still, it’s pretty understandable that Maksim controls all the human trafficking business, exploitation of young women and transgender people, forcing them into sex work, smuggling, and black market dealings all over the city. He’s a power-hungry megalomaniac who likes to maintain his control over the citizens through violence and intimidation.
Cactus Bill and Duck Teddington also work for him and control most of their human trafficking operations. So, to return the favor, Maksim agrees to provide Bill with the passport ID for him to be able to leave the city. However, as Bill kidnaps Naadirah to get rid of her, Leo embarks on his journey to find his girlfriend and save her life. Leo learns from a lead that Naadirah is in Bill’s possession. So he keeps digging in until he gets Maksim, the only one who knows Bill’s address. Leo not only beats the entire group of Maksim, but he also knocks off the crime lord. Maksim doesn’t die but gets badly injured. As Bill arrives later to retrieve his ID, Maksim tells him that Leo has taken it and has been searching for him to get his revenge.
What Happens to Naadirah? How does Bill pay for his actions?
Unfortunately, when Bill arrives at his place following Leo, he locks his daughter in a room to keep her safe and confronts the protagonist in his basement. A confused Leo keeps searching for his girlfriend, so Bill finally hands him the key to face the truth. Leo unlocks a room and finds a large plastic wrapped around Naadirah’s cold and lifeless body. Unable to process the loss of his loved one, Leo goes wild and stabs Bill to death. Leo picks Naadirah’s dead body and cannot even leave the site, being unable to process the trauma.
Meanwhile, Duck Teddington arrives at the same time to check on Bill but finds out his friend is almost on the verge of death. Perhaps Duck could take Bill to a hospital to treat him, but he doesn’t do it. Duck Teddington, who has been a weirdly unapologetic pedophile, never liked Bill interfering in his dirty business and asking him to reform. So, to take his revenge, he decides to let Bill die on the spot. Bill has always despised how perversely Duck behaves with young women, but Bill isn’t a saint. To protect his child, he also killed a woman whom he used to love before. So, whatever happened to Bill was just the fatal consequence of his horrible actions.
Does Leo Beiler finally talk? Is he able to protect Josie from Duck?
After Bill takes his last breath, Duck gets Josie, and on their way out, he finally meets Leo, who’s still grieving Naadirah’s death. Duck beats Leo down and takes him to the basement, where he operates on him. He installs an artificial vocal cord in Leo’s throat and tries to force him to say sorry for what he did to Bill. As Leo is still unable to apologize for killing Bill, Duck takes both him and Josie on a drive, intending to kill Leo on his way. They stop by a bridge where Duck pulls Leo out and makes him sit on a bench.
Duck finally reveals the secret relationship between Naadirah and Bill and explains to Leo why Josie is important to Naadirah. However, Leo cannot process the truth, and being out of control, he grabs Duck and jumps into the river, taking him along. Underwater, Leo kills Duck and swims out of the water only to find that Josie is in a dangerous position, almost on the edge of the bridge. To save Josie, Leo finally screams, asking the little girl to step back. Leo finally regains his ability to talk and adopts Josie to give her a safe and secure future.
Is Futuristic Berlin utilized adequately in the storyline of “Mute?”
“Mute” is a prime example of a pretentious movie that can only be seen as a Walmart version of “Blade Runner.” Despite investing lots of money in its futuristic backdrop, the film didn’t utilize it properly in the storyline. “Mute” uses the dystopian backdrop with glimmering neon lights only to lure specific sci-fi lovers, who’d probably watch the film for the sake of this exterior glamour and the star cast. To maintain a forced ambiguity, the film doesn’t explain the vital details of its world, as Maksim’s presence remains in the shadows, with no proper explanation of how powerful that man can be.
Due to the lack of a brooding appearance and character arc, Maksim’s presence in the story, which could have been a significant part of the narrative, eventually becomes futile and weak, as if there’s no need for a villain in the story at all. The story has no potent antagonist; even though Cactus Bill becomes the ultimate threat to Leo, the film doesn’t show any impactful showdown between them. Duck installing an artificial robotic vocal cord in Leo’s throat only to make him apologize is the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever seen in a film. Overall, “Mute” seriously lacks an impactful narrative and a thematic weight, making it a dull thriller that promises a lot but delivers nothing but disappointment.
