‘Mute’ Review: Duncan Jones’ Futuristic Bowie Tribute Feels Like An Amish ‘Blade Runner’ Spin-Off

“Mute” closes with a dedication to director Duncan Jones’ childhood nanny, and to his father, David Jones, aka David Bowie.

Even before that blatant acknowledgement, “Mute” has obvious personal ramifications for the director by communing with Bowie’s legacy, with a Ziggy Stardust remix of neo-noir tropes.

From a familiar set of references, the movie forges an unexpected narrative stew — namely, the story of a voiceless Amish man in a “Blade Runner”-inspired Berlin (which, of course, carries plenty of Bowie resonance on its own).

“Mute” is ludicrous, but within the confines of its referential logic, also pretty cool.It’s a mad gamble that works better than it should, and though it never quite finds its natural rhythm, stands out as one of the strangest Netflix original productions to date — a messy, off-the-wall conceit made with a sizable budget — and it could only have found support from a studio

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