Customer Reviews

Silent Witness

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I clicked on Amazon to direct a friend to get her own copy of this movie and was shocked to see the bad reviews. This is an enthralling, completely unique and interesting movie. It takes a dark subject and makes it into a story of triump for the protagonist of the story... a 10-year-old American girl who is a deaf-mute. She is visiting with her parents and accidently witnesses a murder, then is chased through the streets of Amsterdam, outwitting the her would-be assassins. The Amsterdam setting creates a perfect backdrop and the endless plot twists and action escapes are brilliant. To me, this is another version of the HOME ALONE movies - but far more interesting and definitely more cultural. And the star is a young girl - and don't we need more movies with young women taking the lead? Francesca Brown, the young star of the movie, deserves an award for her magnificent portrayal of a victim turned into a heroine. All girls and young women will appreciate this rare treat. Everyone who has watched this film with me always wants to watch it again and again as it has so many interesting plot twists and great action scenes. Note: originally released in 1999 as DO NOT DISTURB.
I highly recommend this film.

It is hard to imagine William Hurt in a film that is absolutely terrible but he manages it in this lame vehicle. He even has trouble maintaining a Southern accent throughout the film, sometimes using one, sometimes not. Dennis Leary, the comic turned actor, is also wasted here but his onscreen time is very small. The plot is that Hurt's daughter, a mute ten year old, witnesses a murder in Amsterdam. For the rest of the movie, the villain's hit man tries to kill the girl. Not only can this ten year old manage to constantly foil a "professional," but this hit man must have failed Hit Man School. He absolutely cannot do anything right in carrying out his job and cannot even manage to own a gun that works properly. Bottom line: steer clear of this one.

We watched this because William Hurt USUALLY is a good actor. Not the case in this movie. What was this supposed to be? Was this a really bad comedy with an attempt at suspense, or a really bad suspense with some comedy mixed in? Regardless of the intent, the acting is weaker than a Freshman high school play, the plot is grossly anemic and the setting is meaningless. PLEASE don't rent, buy, recommend or even look at the box of this movie. If a "friend" recommends this to you as a great movie, make new friends!

This stylish, well-directed comedy thriller by Holland's Dick Maas (Amsterdamned; The Lift) played on cable television under its original title, Do Not Disturb, and is highly recommended, a sort of cross between Mute Witness and Home Alone. The cast and production values are top notch, with only a silly and weak last fifteen minutes keeping it from being a five star recommendation. It is, however, better than any Hollywood thrillers that were released in theaters in 2000, and I think Disney (which produced this, apparantly as a kids movie in Europe) missed the boat by not giving it a theatrical run in the USA. As for the ignorant previous review, the movie takes place in Amsterdamn both because the writer/director is Dutch and because it makes a great location. The setting is an essential part of the film, which was shot in English with American faces to make it an easier international sell. I originally taped this off cable and everyone I lent it to loved it. I can't wait to get the DVD and finally see it widescreen.

This is a must-see for anyone who wants to witness the depths to which a great Academy Award winning actor will travel. Also, it is a must-see to witness one of the most side-splittingly funny scenes ever filmed. Wait patiently until the end when the gurney falls out of the back of the ambulance. I laughed til I cried.

It's difficult to tell whether this film was intentionally funny or just happened to turn out that way accidentally. The plot is delirious and the acting atrocious, but the city of Amsterdam has a great chance to shine and is perhaps the only star of this movie worthy of recognition.

This film is worth seeing because of how incredibly bad it is. Like the accident you can't help staring at.

This movie was so unbelievable, it was fun. Agreed with the opinions of the great Amsterdam scenes. I had never seen a movie made there. Charming place.

I enjoyed the boat bum. All the parts where the girl gets the best of the hitman were so unbelievable. In one part a supposed 10-year-old (she looks 16, if she's a day), swings from a beam in an elevator shaft and kicks the hitman off balance. Picture a normal sized 10-year-old girl doing this. Which makes the whole thing really nutty. Oh, and the ambulance chase with the William Hurt character hanging on outside was pure Charlie Chaplin. I expected him to lose an arm grabbing the crowbar at such high speed. I cringed at the crashes and hoped nothing in that lovely antique town was damaged.

I just wish there was a way to rate this one with negative stars. I've never rated anything, but cannot bear the thought of some other poor bored soul losing precious time with this stinker. I watch a lot of movies, and this may very well be the worst I've ever seen. To quote the person who watched it with me "Shame on William Hurt. Shame on Denis Leary and Jennifer Tilley. Shame on the kid who brought sandwiches to the set at lunch!"

Apparently there were no Dutch in Amsterdam while filming this because everyone spoke with an American accent. Maybe the Dutch read the script first and knew better.

If you want to spin a positive on this movie, then turn it into a drinking game. Every time Bill Hurt switches back and forth from a Southern drawl to his normal voice, take a shot of your favorite liquor. Mercifully you will pass out before wasting time on the ending.

Well, I admit, this is a very, very silly film by cult Dutch film maker Dick Maas, starring William Hurt, Jennifer Tilly, and Dennis Leary. Like all the Maas's films -- did you see Naomi Watts in "The Shaft"? -- "Silent Witness" is an uncomfortable blend of thrill and laugh, and though the actors try their best, the result is not as good as is intended.

The film is also titled "Do Not Disturb," and quite appropriately starts with the scene where newly-arrived family (Hurt and Tilly ... most unlikely husband and wife) check in Hotel De L'Europe in Amsterdam. They also have a pretty daughter (Francesca Brown) who cannot speak (hence, Silent Witness), who, well, witnesses a murder done by a hitman (Corey Johnson).

The rest of the film is about the 10 year-old girl's attempt to save her life and tell the truth to the parents. The cat-and-mouse situation sometimes becomes silly when this girl can foil the professional hitman's attacks, displaying the impossible ruses you can never imagine yourself. And when in real trouble, an American Dennis Leary (who happens to live in the small boat in the city's canal) offers a help.

Still, ridiculous as it is, the film is always good to see for its locations. The seductive charms of the night of Amsterdam are beautifully captured, and after all Dick Maas lived in this city for more than 25 years, so why not? And the film comes with the surprisingly good action sequences shot on the streets of the city.

If you have absolutely nothing to do, or just want to see the beautiful city of Amsterdam, "Silent Witness" is a place to go. Otherwise, stick to Bruce Willis's "Die Hard" which this film is definitely not.

An American businessman, played by William Hurt, takes his family to Amsterdam on a combined business/pleasure trip. While they are there his daughter, a mute, witnesses a murder. She is pursued by the murderers and shows courage and resourcefulness which would be extremely rare in a 10-year-old. There are some exciting scenes, but the acting on the part of Hurt and his screen wife, Meg Tilly, is not up to their usual standards. The movie pretty well depends on the special effects and they are not strong enough to maintain this film.

Did I miss something or was the stupidest movie for the year? Basic plot 10 year old mute girl goes with her parents on a business trip/ vacation to Amsterdam and while there witnesses a murder. Of course, the body is missing, the hitman is after the girl, and the police are not even sure if there was a crime or just an overactive imagination on the part of the girl.

Why this movie is set in Amsterdam is beyond my ability to tell. Everyone in the picture speaks flawless unaccented English and they do so even when talking to each other!! This is not surprising since all the actors are American. The idea of being trapped in a foreign land, unable to speak the language or communicate distress is a fear common to many international travelers. Add to that being unable to speak at all, and a great amount of tension could have been created. This film never manages to accomplish anything close.

The bumbling hitman is a professional but he keeps using a weapon that jams even after his client is forced to finish the job for him. The attempt to silence the witness in the hotel makes "Home Alone" seem to be the height of realism. Only after we sit through almost two hours of this nonsense does the action/thriller part kick in. Person after person is knocked off by the murderous duo but they never seem quite able to capture their elusive quarry.

Nor could the people who made this film mange to give it any redeeming value.