"Mute Witness" is an absolute *blast*, a sheer adrenaline rush of suspense and menace that managed to make gasp multiple times. This one has a really unusual premise: while working on a low budget horror film in Russia, a mute special effects artist witnesses the after hours murder of a woman on set. Unfortunately for her, she's noticed. The stealth sequence that ensues is a truly bravura slice of De Palma-influenced movie making: I applauded when it ended. The movie doesn't really let up from there, never letting the audience catch its breath.
Russian actress Marina Zudina is superb as Billy Hughes: despite the film's on-the-nose title, her disability is handled with surprising intelligence and care, especially given this was released in 1995. "Mute Witness" is one of the great unsung thrillers of the 1990s. We even get the nice bonus of Alec Guinness as a Russian mafia boss!
Russian actress Marina Zudina is superb as Billy Hughes: despite the film's on-the-nose title, her disability is handled with surprising intelligence and care, especially given this was released in 1995. "Mute Witness" is one of the great unsung thrillers of the 1990s. We even get the nice bonus of Alec Guinness as a Russian mafia boss!