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13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
She can't scream, but we will..., July 9, 2006
"Mute witness" starts with a very funny take on low budget filmmaking, then offers a horriffic snuff-murder, followed by a cat and mouse game between a witness and the killer in a huge, abandoned building, then does some tiresome B-plot things with a important floppydisc which multiple parties are looking for, then goes for a shoot-out with a twist, and ends, finaly, with a bang. Okay, for some explanation: a crew of Young Americans is making a slasher movie in Russia. What they don't know is that part of the Russian technicians are using the same sets at night to produce pornografic snuff. Billy, the mute special effects girl, is present by accident, and what follows is a chase through the building complex, which is so extremely well made and done, that even the chase-scenes in "Dressed to kill" and "Se7en" have to "snuff it". Scene after scene, moment after moment, the killers close in on Billy, and with only her wit she manages to stay ahead. The whole sequence is done with great amount of detail and feel for true suspense and keeps the viewer on the very edge of his seat. But when Billy is rescued from the bad guys, they track her down to her appartment. And again we're plagued with another hand full of topnotch suspense. Billy takes a quiet bath, and even this innocent scene is so put together and we, as the viewer, hold our breath in vein. And it only gets worse after this. "Mute witness" can be put in the same spot as "Saw", "The Evil dead", "Cube", "Pi", "Halloween" and "Memento": all made by an enthusiastic group of young new talent, whose excitements are clearly visable all throughout the movies they made. This new bunch of talent, wit and exictement makes up for half a Great Movie, their craftmanship for the other half.
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Tense and gritty little thriller., January 16, 2008
Mute Witness was a great surprise, I didn't expect this film to turn out to be this good at first I thought it would like a dull slasher wannabe with the way the film start off but then it obviously wasn't since it took place in a movie studio or an old factory in Russia used to shoot a slasher film. This film has all kinds of surprises and some really tense moments to it, having a mute as the lead character in the film was actually integral to the plot as the lead character played by Marina Sudina cannot speak a word so it is often the reason why she finds herself in a dangerous situation and cannot shout for help or warn someone which is quite clever there is so much suspense and some black humor as well. The film also uses an international cast with a few American actors and its to bad the film didn't get the recognition it deserves, the blood and gore was kept to a minimum and wasn't over the top but seemed realistic during the beginning where there was a snuff film was the only gory part. The film is about a mute American makeup artist named Billy Hughes who witnesses a brutal murder on a film set, as she tries to escape from the bad guys she finally manages to report the crime but it seems a bit difficult to believe her since the killers have gotten rid of the evidence and now she seems to be targeted by the same killers and finds it more difficult to trust anyone. The film was directed by Anthony Waller and it has some outstanding camera work, the atmosphere was claustrophobic and was very effective during the course of the film and the suspense had me on the edge of my seat it was brilliant it was one of the best thrillers I have ever seen, make sure that you don't miss this one.
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10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Twisting, Turning, Terrific Horror Thriller, October 19, 2005
With possibly more twists than any other horror/suspense movie in history - including "Psycho" and "Raising Cain", with possibly its only competion for the rapid twists crown coming from "Paranoiac" - "Mute Witness" is a wholly original and wholly unpredictable terror thrill ride that demands close attention from the viewer to keep up. A small movie crew is on location in Moscow filming a horror movie when a mute girl - a member of the crew - witnesses what appears to be a real murder, possibly connected with some sort of real-life snuff movie outfit operating in the Russian criminal underworld. The Russian police - made up primarily of former-KGB agents - are called in and, although I'm well aware of the garbage that went down in the years when Stalin et al had the KGB committing their atrocities, the simple fact is that not All of the hundreds of thousands of men and women working in Soviet law enforcement could have been bad, it's statisically impossible, and it's an interesting and refreshing change to see these ex-KGBers presented in the 'good guy' role for a change. The lead investigator in particular is impressive - both the character and the actor. Though highly skeptical of the murder account given, he's compassionate with the young girl terrified by what she thinks she saw, totally non-patronizing, and highly efficient. The actor who plays him impresses hugely because before the movie he apparantly spoke virtually no English and taught himself enough in the few weeks before auditions to not only land the part but to give a tremendous performance, thus fitting in well with the high-caliber jobs done by all the actors and actresses involved. Speaking of refreshing, although the filmakers are all ardent horror enthusiasts making a horror movie, "Mute Witness" does not try for laughs by making them all, er... idiots, to be blunt... because they like horror (i.e. this is not "Scream" or similar 'spoof'-fare, which I know a lot of people love but I've never been able to get into). There Is humor in the movie, but it derives from less feeble sources, and it works, in spite of the intensity of the movie. What I've said so far gives a rundown of only the early going of the movie. There are so many twists and turns that to go further would risk spoiling some of the surprises. I will say that using a mute character as the lead protagonist works brilliantly, and helps to make "Mute Witness" the masterpiece that it is. Also recommended (or likewise, if you love the following you're likely to love "Mute Witness" as well) - "Raising Cain", "Dead Again", the original "Psycho" trilogy, "Nightmare" and "Paranoiac" (both on the superb - and superbly priced - "Hammer Horror Series" set), "When A Stranger Calls Back", "Double Vision", "The Perfect Bride" (with Kelly Preston) and "Lisa" (with Staci Keanan and Cheryl Ladd)
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