Mute Witness Movie
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Storyline
TAGLINES
She Can't Speak. She Can't Scream. She Can't Beg For Mercy.
She Won't Be Silenced.
En stum makeup-kunstner bliver vidne til et brutalt mord.
Keiner brachte sie zum Schweigen! (Nobody was able to silence her!)
Billy Hughes, a mute makeup artist working on a slasher film being shot in Moscow, is locked in the studio after hours. While there she witnesses a brutal murder, and must first escape capture at that time, then keep from being killed before convincing authorities of what she's seen. Plot twists galore follow as Billy tries to stay alive.
| Marina Zudina | Billy Hughes |
| Fay Ripley | Karen Hughes |
| Evan Richards | Andy Clarke |
| Oleg Yankovsky | Larsen |
| Igor Volkov | Arkadi |
| Sergei Karlenkov | Lyosha |
| Alec Guinness | The Reaper |
| Nikolai Pastukhov | Janitor |
| Stephen Bouser | Lovett |
| Valeri Barakhtin | Mitja |
| Olga Tolstetskaya | Actress |
| Igor Ilyin | Fake policeman |
| Oleg Abramov | Double |
| Vladimir Salnikov | Lab assistant |
| Anthony Waller |
6.80 out of 10 (1707 votes)
Visitor Reviews
(SPOILER) Almost A Really Good Movie
posted on 20 May 2009I enjoyed the acting in this movie. Except for the sister. She reminded me of Janice on Friends. I could never quite believe she was anything but obnoxious. My main problems with the movie were the anticlimatic ending and the execution scene with the sister and brother-in-law. The guy falling out of the exploding car? Maybe if his hand had been blown off and he ran to the mute for help and she kissed him and rushed him to a hospital, maybe then I could have gone for the ending. I think somebody needed to die in the execution scene. Mainly the brother-in-law. He was such a pain in the ass anyway. Or maybe the sister needed to accidentally kill the guy who saved the mute. I could have even bought into the brother-in-law killing the hero and the ending being the two sisters being put in snuff films. It is worth watching again and as I always say, it is much easier to be a reviewer instead of an author.
A great, fun and effective (if sadly overlooked) thriller
posted on 27 Mar 2009It is always a well-known, and important directorial device to set up the atmosphere of a film within the first 5 minutes. In the crucial opening scenes, the film should assert itself and make the viewers take notice and get interested in the rest of the film. Here, in "Mute Witness", we find a prime example of this.*Scene spoiler* In the first 5-10 minutes, the film opens to a very Hitchcockian scene of a pretty blonde lady in her apartment, with the radio on. She's wandering around, applying lipstick, dolling herself up, and ignoring the news report of a serial killer on the loose. Of course, the serial killer is in her house, and monitoring her moves, knife in hand. She hears a noise, looks in a room, and there is her partner in a pool of blood. At the very point of her screams, she turns around to be faced with the knife-wielding maniac, who stabs her repeatedly in a brutal and horrifying act.......then something odd happens. As the woman convulses in her death throes, the killer sits down and takes out a cigarette to watch his victim perish. Before he finds his lighter, his cigarette is lit...from someone else in the room! The camera pans out, and we realise that there are more and more people in the room, some taking notes, some filming, some recording the death, and that the lady is taking an awfully long time to die, and making a very hammy job of it too. When the audience realises what's going on, and the whole scene is part of a film, the suspenseful and horrific scene takes on an element of humour.*End Scene Spoiler* I have highlighted this opening scene for several reasons. Firstly, it portrays the atmosphere of the whole movie perfectly. A thriller in the style of Hitchcock or De Palma, with some very disorientating, and even blackly humorous moments. - It conveys a central subject matter (that of the difference between a 'movie screen death' and a 'snuff film death', an issue which is elaborated on later in the film), and finally, it introduces the viewer to the characters, all as silently as possible.The plot of Mute Witness centres around Billy Hughes, an American special effects make-up artist who is working on the set of the film, being shot in a large warehouse in Moscow. Billy cannot speak, but she communicates in sign language through her sister. After the end of an evening's filming, Billy inadvertently finds herself locked in the warehouse by accident, and in her attempt to escape, is witness to two of the crew making what first appears to be a porno film, but turns out to be a snuff movie. Suddenly, her escape from the warehouse is a matter of life and death.Without doubt, the first half of the film is powerful and absolutely gripping. Billy's saving grace, and her handicap is the fact that she isn't able to utter a sound. (In fact, in my opinion, one of the best aspects of the film is the fact that it isn't chock-full of women screaming). There are some utterly disturbing moments, and some superb set-pieces of real suspense (The corridoor, and the elevator shaft are perfect examples). The timing is fluid, and the whole first half is an incredibly satisfying experience in itself.The second half of the film introduces new concepts. While there are still several suspenseful moments, the focus is on plot twists. New characters are introduced, and it is ambiguous as to whose side they are on. While there is nothing wrong per se with the second half of the film, it just doesn't quite measure up to the first half. There are some neat moments of black humour that perfectly juxtapose and punctuate some very dramatic scenes, but there are also some very lame comedy moments (coming specifically from Billy's sister and her fiancée, who happens to be the director of the movie Billy is working on), that almost ruin the film, just because they are badly misplaced and/or mistimed and ruin the pace. - At the end, the twists keep coming at a rapid-fire speed, and the climax of the film is, appropriately, as tense as the first half.There are several things that really make the movie work. The barriers of communication that Billy must face, both as a mute, and as an American in Moscow, mean that even an emergency call for help becomes a dangerous situation. The actress that plays Billy, Natasha Zudina, does a wonderful job in the film, with an engaging on-screen prescence, and a brilliant performance, and finally, the direction as a whole, but most particularly in the first half of the film, which truly is a study in Alfred Hitchcock's suspense/thriller film techniques.As I have already said, though, the let-downs in the film are from some terrible comic relief moments that really do not need to be added. There is already a consistent and effective streak of dark humour that appears in the film without the need for the characters of Karen Hughes and Andy Clarke (The sister and the moviemaker) to turn their scenes into some unusual sit-com. However, despite these shortcomings, the film is a thoroughly enjoyable thriller, and ideal for a group viewing at halloween. (Certainly better than the usual slasher horror film...!)
SCARY!
posted on 22 Feb 2009First half of the movie scared the hell out of me and normally I'm not easy to scare, but second half of this thriller didn't work quite a well, but still very scary! A good thriller, than use simple ways to make good horror. Lowbudget, set in Russia, unknown cast, and made in Europe. but still great fun, and yes there is a few laughs throw in for good matters as well!
Great film
posted on 11 Jan 2009Well, this film came on on a workday at 230am. The cute little actress who played Billy caught my attention initially and after the 1st 15 minutes I was held captive to my television till the very end. It has you on the edge of your seat, then throws in clever bits of comedy during the most tense sequences.The only draw back is that the story was not substantial enough to fill hour an a half film, causing certain sequences to drag just a little. Nonetheless, it was still very entertaining, and I recommended it to all my co-workers the next day.
Back in (almost) USSR.
posted on 10 Oct 2008This is a very good surprise,this horror low budget movie.The influences are definitely European,and Dario Argento's fans should relish with that:the cinematography and the direction recall such works as "suspiria" and "l'ucello della piume de cristallo" with a simpler script and less showing off.The mute heroine will make old cinema buffs think of Dorothy MCGuire's part in "the spiral staircase"(Robert Siodmak,1946),but this latter movie was hitchcockian to the core whereas this one ,I say it again,is more "argentoesque":the scene in which the baddie tries to force open the frightened girl flat was in the two mentioned movies.The comic relief (the people above who cannot sleep because of the "noise" ) might be an allusion to HG Clouzot's "les diaboliques".This is an action-packed story,using the settings with intelligence and dexterity.And very honest,at that:Russians speak Russian and thus are credible.This adds to the suspense because there are actually three languages:Russian ,English,and the heroine's one who can only communicate by looks and gestures.To top it all,there's a superb cameo for sir Alec Guiness -the only star of the movie,at least in western Europe and America-,who appears billed as "mystery guest star" in the credits.All psychological suspense afficionados must see this overlooked gem.
Thrilling...horrifying...and sometimes even amusing!
posted on 30 Jul 2008I saw this one in a sneak preview without knowing what to expect, and it turned out to be another reason to go to these sneaks. Not being one of these stupid Russian-Mafia-stereotype movies I liked this film from the very first minute. This is stalking, chasing, hiding, running to the extreme but never predictable or somewhat un-original. This is a film that really made me think and still does. I must admit, I haven't seen it in a while but I remember it to be one of the best "serious" suspense-thrillers I have ever seen.
classic
posted on 24 Jun 2008We all went to a Sony theater expecting to see another 1994 release, the theater did a test sneak and those who chose to stay saw Mute Witness, there was no press on it beforehand, the audience was the most scared and freaked out of any film I have viewed with an audience, more than The Exorcist or Halloween. Several people could not handle the material and left the theater, and after the picture opened, the theater soon pulled it, as it was over the top in suspense gore and subject matter, and reciepts may have been off as a result. If you pay attention, and stay with Billy on her struggle, allowing yourself to get caught up in it, this film is one HELL of a nail biter. On video, it isn't the same, you really need an audience, preferably one that hasn't seen it before, to get the full blood-curdling impact. Waller does a very good job and makes it look easy. It is a genre piece and moves the audience into safer territory near the end, I believe, to keep the form consistent with its stylistic opening. The film has its place in history with the most intense material ever put on screen.
russian rollercoaster
posted on 01 May 2008In today's world of advertising and teenage horror and sensationalism it is very rare that one gets to see a movie and no nothing about it. Movies like Psycho and Blair Witch, while being great in suspense (both with great build ups) are spoiled by the fact that we know all about the best scenes and at least the plot before we see them. With Mute Witness, a rare treat, I stumbled upon this film and watched it, scared witless, in the middle of the night. I was scared by the menacing Russian ambience, the 'snuff' theme and the claustrophobic plight of the mute and the fact that the (amusing, which always leads to likeable) characters could meet the end at any second. Since this is a low budget and rare film we watch it without any expectations. It also has Fay Ripley in a rare movie role, watch and prepare to be excited, scared and thrilled in totally unexpected ways.
a decent thriller
posted on 29 Mar 2008The plot is somewhat original, and all the actors did their job pretty well. There is a plenty of comic relief, too. Some things do not make a lot of sense (e.g. the first "chase" scene, why would the heroine not just hide somewhere and wait until the baddies leave?).
The Russians actually speak Russian without accent, but the cars are extremely strange, with models spanning like 50 years, and so the place seems weirdly out of time. Overall, if you like thrillers you will probably like this one as well.
In Russia, no-one can hear you scream.
posted on 19 Feb 2008This is as close as anyone wants to get to the facts. 1000's of people disappeared in Russia and no-one knows if they became attractions for the Underworld. The film itself doesn't come with the warning that it is based on a true story - because no-one would believe the terrifying truth.Thank God if you aren't there.
A really tense little thriller
posted on 07 Feb 2008An American film crew are based in Moscow with Russians making up much of the actual crew outside of the main elements. Andy is the director with his girlfriend and her mute sister Billy as makeup artist. One night after a shoot Billy finds herself locked in the large building being used as the main studio. She comes downstairs having heard a noise to find two men making a porno film that quickly becomes a snuff film before her eyes.
Billy flees the men but finds herself with no evidence to back up her claim.
Meanwhile the shadowy figure behind the murder plans to cover all loose ends.I have managed to miss this film everytime it has come on TV and everytime it was in a cinema. The closest I got was taping it once but it started late and I only got 20 minutes. Happily I finally got my video skills together and caught it late the other night. I had heard average reviews of this and only hoped that it would be enjoyable – which it was.The plot starts simple (mute girl in peril) and builds later into a bit of a wider conspiracy. The first half of the film is it's strength, real terror, genuine tension and thrills. The actual murder is horrible and shot well to let you imagine more than you see. The following pursuit is also excellent and very well directed. The second half of the film is still very enjoyable and tense but never reaches those heights again. The plot opens up to a wider conspiracy and shadowy figures and it looses much of it's tightness as a result. The film is still very good mind you and is much better than a lot of large budget thrillers.It isn't scary but it is very thrilling. The director makes plenty of good shots to help crank it up a notch when needed, however his script does falter at the final few hurdles Zudina is good and does really well as the girl in peril. She can't scream or cry and has to carry her fear in her eyes which she does well. Ripley and Richards are more there for comedy value but do help lighten the tone. The rest of the cast are anonymous chasers and don't have too much presence, but the director has done such a good job with the tension that they don't need to be monsters, only men.
Guinness is OK I guess. It's interesting to have him in such a film but did no one else notice how badly redubbed he was. It was clear he had redone his lines in a studio – the sound quality was to crisp compared to other's dialogue and it didn't match with his lips as it should have done – shame.Overall I enjoyed this film. For the most part it is simple, tight and very effective. Great tension. All the cast really put their fear in their eyes rather than relying on screams etc to convey it. The second half of the film dips a little as the plot gets a bit baggy and slightly less convincing but by then you should be sold and it's energy carries it over some bits that drag a little. Overall a really good little thriller.
Words cannot express the horror.
posted on 08 Jan 2008Billy Hughes is a mute young lady working for make-up on a cheap horror picture being filmed in Moscow by an American director. One night Billy gets locked in the movie studio. Later that night she hears that someone might be in the building and goes to check it out. That's when she stumbles across a woman being brutally murdered, while being filmed. After escaping the clutches of the murderers, Billy informs the authorities, only to be red-faced when the men show it was an act. Billy knows what she saw and soon her life is in turmoil again from underground figures that believe she has something of importance.I don't know how this heart-pounding sleeper passed me by, but I thought it was a much older flick. There's one thing though, it's got to be one of the most jarringly, and intense thrillers I've seen in quite a while. It's just a great suspense builder and mostly everything clicks into place! The first half of the feature is surprisingly gripping with taut sequences that have your heart in your throat and clouds us with an atmospherically foreboding environment of alienation. Underling this is a humorously wicked black streak. Faults do pop up in the story, as it does lose that furious grip it held so early and goofy humour (or better putter comic relief) between Fay Ripley and Evan Richard's characters is a hit and miss affair by being too forceful. In the long run, it probably could have done without. Despite some cringe moments, this aspect didn't hinder my enjoyment of it. For me, the soft ending they decided to go with just didn't feel right.The interestingly mysterious premise was eerie to the bone and packed some unsettling goods. So multi-facet was the context and its thrills, there was something fresh to how this all plays out and the nervy jolts and unbearable tension are weaved into a range of sudden plot turns and twists. Really, they made superb use of the novel idea of this disability and to handicap the situation, by staging it in a foreign place where not too many spoke English and so we are caught up in the confusion too. The delicate Marina Zudina gives a harrowing portrayal of the American mute girl Billy. The way she able to display the erratic emotions through her eyes and actions gave it some gruff and believability. Director Anthony Waller shoots the flick in a rather stylish, well-timed and skillful manner, without loosing that grimy look that eventuates from its rigid surroundings and a powerfully airy music score persistently nags at you. The only real name to make an appearance was small cameo part by Alec Guinness. The performances by the cast were all fine, especially the nail biting turns by Oleg Yankovsky and Igor Volkov as the Russian murderers.This riveting feature that's mostly made up of unknowns, is way better than your average dark thriller. Highly Recommended.
An hilarious thriller
posted on 06 Dec 2007I love this movie ! I think I've seen it 5 times already (it was quite a success in France and they often play it on TV). Ok, it's a thriller and there is great tension. But mostly (and specifically in the second part) it is absolutely hilarious ! And very original. The directing and photography are just splendid.
A Slightly offbeat and Hugely Enjoyable Film
posted on 16 Oct 2007This Film is Remarkable for many reasons, a minor, but worth noteing one is the story behind Sir Alec Guinness's appearance in the film.As mentioned before his scenes were shot few years before the main bulk of the film was completed , the Director approached him personaly at a hotel (in Russia?) and literaly begged him to appear.The great man agreed on two conditions, the first that he was'nt credited at all, and second that his scenes could be shot the next morning in the 15 minutes before he left for the airport, he had no knowledge of the plot or what the script would be and incidently recieved no fee.The final result pays homage not only to Sir Alec's acting but also to the editing and foresight of the director.
Probably the most underrated horror film of the '90's
posted on 04 Oct 2007This is, without doubt, one of my favourite horror films ever! I really cannot believe that it didn't gain much more popularity when it was released, especially when the main contenders at the time were the usual Wes Craven sequels and copycat horrors, Mute Witness has all the style, suspense and quickfire plot twists of a Hitchcock/DePalma movie, coupled with some very sharp black comedy and a great plot. It never promises to be any more than a good popcorn-and-hot-dog movie, but it is difficult not to just enjoy the film for what it is.The plot centres on Billie Hughes - a mute girl working on the set of a horror film being made in a Russian factory. By a series of events, she finds herself accidentally locked in, and stumbles on the filming of a snuff movie.One of the best things about the film is the lack of screaming that seems to invade every horror film ever made. As the main character is mute, she cannot make a noise - something which is a blessing at some stages of the movie, and a curse in others.The director seems to have studied his Hitchcock very well, Even the opening scene is a tongue-in-cheek nod to both Hitchcock's "Psycho" as well as fairly generic slasher movie scenes.While the acting can be hammy at times, the whole film does hold it together, not only throwing in a couple of excellent scenes that put you right on the edge of your seat, but a few neat little questions about how the film is going to end.All in all, a hugely overlooked, well-paced and action packed psycho-thriller which I would recommend for any jaded viewer looking for something a little different from the usual Freddy/Jason/Scream/Michael Myers/Damien regurgitation's at hallowe'en.
Clever Homage to the Thriller Genre
posted on 30 Jun 2007A couple of years before SCREAM spoofed the slasher/horror genre with savvy, self-conscious young things knowing every trick in the book of what to do and not to do in a precarious situation, a little movie produced in Russia hit the theatres without any grandiose pretensions.This movie was MUTE WITNESS. Starring a cast of unknowns (except an extremely brief cameo by Sir Alec Guiness whose scenes were purportedly filmed eight years prior to the actual filming of this movie), it told the story of a mute make-up artist, Billie, who is working on a film on location in Russia produced and directed by her sister's boyfriend Andy. She is unaware that the set has closed when she goes to retrieve her belongings and inadvertently stumbles onto a porn shoot that becomes extremely bloody. Overcome with horror she alerts the murderers of her presence, a chase ensues, and finally she is rescued by Andy who take her home as they alert the police. The trouble is... there is no body, no evidence that anything of the sort took place. Even so, a mysterious inspector seems to be on Billie's side of the story....And to say more would be criminal. MUTE WITNESS is the kind of film that demands a scrutiny of viewing similar to the most intricate, clever thriller because as much as it is a convoluted thriller, it's one that pays its dues to movies like WAIT UNTIL DARK and the best of Hitchcock in its choice of camera cuts, deadpan humor, Americans reacting in foreign countries where they are powerless, and nail-biting suspense until it seems something must snap. Even if the story does become a little too implausible due to the fact that the story arc suddenly becomes the focus of an even greater conspiracy, the film succeeds in not trying to trick the audience with cheap shots (for example the sudden appearance of a person on camera accompanied by a crashing swell of violins) but with the fear of the unknown and that death is only a shadow away. Very smart.
Hitchcock would have been jealous of this one...
posted on 19 May 2007This first film by writer/director Anthony Waller is above all standards. Although made with a low budget it has all the ingredients a good thriller should have. The story is about a girl who works for a film company and who gets to be the accidental witness of a murder while it's being filmed for a snuff-movie. Because she is mute, she later has lots of difficulty explaining the police what has happened. Besides that, they don't believe her. The plot in the movie keeps changing in a very original way without losing it's credibility. The high tension goes on for as long the film lasts and thus will keep you to the edge of your seat for 95 minutes. The acting as well as the directing is great. Marina Sudina (whom I had never heard of before) is not only a very attractive actress but a very good one too. Hitchcock would have been jealous of this one... 9 out of 10.
Silence is golden.
posted on 30 Sep 2006Marina Zudina stars as a mute makeup artist who witnesses a brutal snuff film being made, turns out it was real. She spends the rest of the movie running from the criminals who know she saw the murder. The movie itself heavily recalls Hitchcock such as the Psycho worthy murder scene, the fact that protagonist Billy Hughes is a beautiful woman who has the disability, and other random imagery. When she is on her phone using her computer the robotic voice is chilling. And in a quasi-Rear Window moment, her cry for help with that device in a foreign country augments her dilemma, so she tries to flash her neighbor to get his attention! Staying in the Hitchcock vein, the second half chase was adventurous and darkly comedic. Some may say the humor was misplaced, but I found it to be a funny and welcome respite even after the brutal, suspenseful first half. And look for some crucial foreshadowing, which I won't give away.
The Russian Ms. Zudina is ingeniously cast as the American, voiceless witness. I was unfamiliar with her before I saw this movie. Here was an actress who understood that her job was not to talk. She performed her job well in facially expressing the gamut of pertinent emotions, therefore succeeding in invoking sympathy for her throughout the entire movie.
Superior acting, for she was "Billy Hughes speaking." A first-rate, very well-made and entertaining thriller, superior to many others and highly recommended.
Either Count the Cliches or Enjoy the Ride
posted on 17 Jul 2006You may be tempted to count the cliches in this damsel-in-distress thriller. From the movie-within-a-movie opening scene to the ending's last surprise, there is not too much that hasn't been done before in Mute Witness. Had it been made in the US as originally planned, the filmmakers would've risked getting heavily panned. As it is, the Moscow sets and actors add a lot of atmosphere, the director and cameraman have a true flair for action sequences, and the mostly unknown cast are likeable and give good performances. If we know what's going to happen when our female lead takes a bath during a breather from being stalked by killers, my recommendation is just to enjoy it.
superb action-comedy
posted on 24 Aug 2009Man, I never laugh so much this year, and it's pretty hard to make me laugh. While I expected some Hostel-style movie, the smile come to my face even from the beginning. This film-inside-film shows a female stabbed "victim" messing the whole set until she finally "die". Her overacting drive the director nuts and his funny reaction tell us, the viewers, that Mute Witness is not a typically horror movie.The main character, the mute American make-up artist Billy Hughes, is played by the beautiful yet talented Russian actress Marina Zudina. Her performance is top-notch; her character can't speak, so the body language and the emotions on her face must compensate.And, oh boy, she did a wonderful job. Her sister (Fay Ripley) is the girlfriend or the fiancée or the wife of the "in-film director" (Evan Richards). They were both very funny most of the time. I won't spoil more, but the scenes following the bathtub moment, with them two, the fake policemen and later the angry neighbor were plain brilliant black comedy.The plot get twisted near the end, possibly misleading at one particular moment. But don't worry. Such a delicious movie can be viewed in family or with your boy-/girl-/friend.