Mute Review: 4 Ups & 6 Downs
3. The Tone Is A Mess
Though it at first seems like Jones is trying to craft a moody, downbeat slice of grim cyberpunk noir, Mute's tone ultimately ends up fluctuating quite violently at times, typically when the director attempts to inject some humour and eccentricity into his world.
While the clear intention to stop things from getting self-consciously grimdark is admirable, the effort just doesn't quite work.
Some comical exchanges between Paul Rudd and Justin Theroux's surgeon characters Cactus Bill and Duck fall especially flat, and there's a baffling scene featuring Dominic Monaghan that, well, really has to be seen to be believed.
There's severe mood whiplash between these moments and the more serious core narrative, to the extent that Jones probably should've just committed to making something totally straight-faced.