Mute Witness Blu-ray Review
Written by Robert Gold
Blu-ray released by Arrow Video
Written and directed by Anthony Waller
1995, 97 minutes, Rated R
Released on June 11th, 2024
Starring:
Marina Sudina as Billy Hughes
Fay Ripley as Karen Hughes
Evan Richards as Andy Clarke
Oleg Jankowskij as Larsen
Igor Volkov as Arkadi
Sergeij Karlenkov as Lyosha
Alexandr Piatkov as Wartschuk
Review:
Billy Hughes is a make-up effects artist on an American horror movie shooting in Moscow. She is highly skilled, well-liked and is also mute. One night after filming has wrapped, Billy gets locked inside the studio alone. She hears voices and investigates only to discover a second film crew making an adult movie. Embarrassed, she waits in the shadows but is horrified when the porno becomes a snuff movie. Billy runs away, but the killer hears her and gives chase. What follows is a game of cat-and-mouse as she avoids capture. Billy finally escapes the building and is rescued by her sister/fellow crew member, Karen, unfortunately the killers convince the police the whole thing was a stunt and insist Billy must be confused. Can she convince someone to believe her or is she doomed now the murderers know who she is and where she lives?
There is a popular subgenre of movies about making movies that dates back to Hollywood’s golden era. They frequently take a humorous look at the chaos of the filmmaking process, as in 8 ½, Living in Oblivion, State and Main, Brutal Massacre, Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back and Shadow of the Vampire. Horror films take a more serious approach with titles including The Last Horror Film, Effects, Blow Out, Body Double, Scream 3, Pet Sematary 2, Wes Craven’s New Nightmare and Peeping Tom.
Mute Witness puts a fresh spin on the formula by approaching the material with an emphasis on style and suspense. Written and directed by Anthony Waller (An American Werewolf in Paris), the film is at its best during the first hour with make-up artist Billy eluding the killers. The influence of Alfred Hitchcock cannot be denied and the script soars with its excellent building of tension. The picture falters in the second half, as creating new scenarios to threaten Billy become more implausible. It is also asking a lot to believe that Andy, the movie’s director, and Billy’s fellow crew members think their make-up artist cannot tell the difference between an actual murder and a special effects gag and continue undermining her.
Marina Sudina (Limited Life) stars as Billy Hughes, our silent protagonist fighting for her life. She carries the picture with her physical presence and expressive features. Her best scenes are opposite Fay Ripley (Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein) as script supervisor/sister Karen Hughes. The movie director, Andy, played by Evan Richards (Society), rounds out our trio of protagonists of Americans making a movie in Russia. Ripley has great onscreen chemistry with both Sudina and Richards, lending itself to a believable set of friends working in a strange land. I won’t spoil the surprise, but Anthony Waller landed a high-profile actor to appear in a brief cameo as “the-man behind the curtain” that is truly jaw-dropping.
Mute Witness works best when keeping our protagonist just out of harm’s way with its deadly game of hide-and-seek. It falters when trying too hard to regain the momentum built in the first half. After the chase has been exhausted, the script betrays Billy by having her fall victim to gaslighting. The picture works more often than not, but I encourage you to watch the movie before seeing the spoiler-heavy trailer. Casual viewers will want to catch this one streaming before committing to a purchase.
Video and Audio:
Original film elements have received a 4K scan and restoration with beautiful results. Presented in the 2.35:1 aspect ratio, picture quality is at an all-time high with bold colors and rich black levels. There is plenty of small-object detail and flesh tones appear natural throughout.
An LPCM 2.0 stereo mix gets the job done, showing off the film’s wonderful sound design. There are sequences of extended dialogue-free silence balanced with some creepy ambient sounds around the soundstage. Dialogue is always clear and understandable and music cues are robust. Optional English subtitles are included for anyone in need.
Special Features:
There are two newly-recorded audio commentaries from the filmmakers, the first featuring writer/director Anthony Waller. He opens by pointing out members of the actual crew appearing on camera during the opening credits sequence. Waller talks about filming in Russia and his decision to shoot the picture in a widescreen format when composing his shots. He also reveals some of his favorite sequences. Unfortunately, there are occasional gaps of silence.
The second commentary brings discussion with production designer Matthias Kammermeier and composer Wilbert Hirsch, moderated by critic Lee Gambin. There are more production stories, starting with a detailed account of how they landed the big cameo. Other topics include the difficulties of filming in Russia with a largely Russian and German crew, how specific sequences were shot, the sets, the f/x and score and an overview of snuff movies.
The Silent Death: Snuff Films and Mute Witness (12 minutes) is a visual essay by author and critic Alexandra Heller-Nicholas, examining Mute Witness and its relationship with snuff films and the subgenre “Snuff Fiction.” Other topics of discussion include films with false intros, examples of the overlapping elements of snuff and pornography and movies with mute protagonist. She also addresses the gaslighting and undermining Billy.
Author and critic Chris Alexander explores the phenomenon of the film-within-a-film trope in his visual essay The Wizard Behind the Curtain: Films within Films and Mute Witness (23 minutes). The number of titles in this subgenre he covers is at times hilarious by overwhelming volume.
The Original “Snuff Movie” Presentation Video (25 minutes), produced to generate interest from investors and distributors, features interviews with Waller and members of the creative team. Also on display are clips from the director’s early work.
Before settling on Moscow, the film was originally set to shoot in Boston. Included here is original location scouting footage (8 minutes) presented without comment via rough VHS video.
Original Footage with Alec Guinness (3 minutes) reveals the raw footage in its entirety filmed almost a decade before the rest of the movie.
The original theatrical trailer and teaser trailer are included.
A short photo gallery (8 images) is composed of promotional stills.
Grades: |
||||||
| Movie: |  |
  |
||||
| Video: |  |
|||||
| Audio: | |
|||||
| Features: |  |
|||||
| Overall: | |
|||||
This page includes affiliate links where Horror DNA may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.
