Director Anthony Waller’s odd career incorporated just a couple of ‘90s features before sputtering out, with his first feature also being his best. Admittedly, “Mute Witness” generated some borderline hysterical critical notices when it was first released – Peter Travers called it downright Hitchcockian – but it’s still a watchable, low-budget thriller with a heavy dose of Waller’s comedy, which at times is as awkward as it is humorous.
Shot in, and set in, Russia, “Mute Witness” finds a mute American make-up artist (Marina Sudina) stuck in a dingy studio after hours, where she ends up watching a snuff film being produced – and herself witness to the crime. Working with her sister (Fay Ripley) and her director boyfriend (Evan Richards) to stay alive, Sudina ends up in a virtual labyrinth of killers, KGB and Moscow police, with the bad guys forever on her heels.
“Mute Witness” moves quickly and offers some interesting atmosphere with Waller – who thought about shooting the film initially in Boston – embracing the international setting, though there seems to be something “off” with this movie from the second it starts. Maybe that’s because the music by Wilbert Hirsch seems occasionally disconnected with what’s playing on-screen, or that Waller undercuts tension with humor that only connects here and there – an attribute that would come into play with his heavily derided “An American Werewolf in Paris” sequel which followed the production of this picture (a movie that ended Waller’s career nearly as quickly as it started).
Some of the set-pieces are well executed but perhaps all you need to know about the project’s eccentricity is that Waller’s celebrated Alec Guinness cameo (he’s billed as a mystery guest) was based on footage he shot with the actor nearly a decade prior – just a couple of minutes of material Waller kept until the ‘90s when he was able to get “Mute Witness” off the ground.
Released theatrically in the U.S. by Sony Pictures Classics, “Mute Witness” has been licensed from the movie’s owners (including Waller himself) and includes a new 4K restoration (2.35) in HDR10. The transfer offers some occasionally noticeable HDR enhancement but the movie’s rather drab visual design isn’t the kind that’s necessarily going to translate to strong colors and contrasts. Extras include Waller’s commentary; another commentary with Wilbert Hirsch and production designer Matthias Kammermeier along with the late Lee Gambin; a visual essay by Alexandra Heller-Nicholas; another visual essay from Chris Alexander; test footage of the proposed Boston filming locations; the “Snuff Movie” footage in its entirety; and all of Alec Guinness’ scenes (just 2½ minutes worth!) as they were filmed in the mid ‘80s.