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  1. Entertainment
  2. Movies

7 Silent But Deadly Movie Mutes

Features
By Dan Goodswen published 1 July 2009

Characters who prefer actions over words...

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Oddjob (Harold Sakata)

Oddjob (Harold Sakata)

The Mute: Played by stocky Samoan Harold Sakata, we are told he’s a mute, though he doesn’t exactly get time to speak, what with Goldfinger’s incessant ramblings. We’d have put that bowler to good use long ago.

The Obligatory Dialogue:
In this case, not obligatory at all.

Silent But Deadly: Uses his considerable strength and accuracy with his steel-rimmed bowler to break the neck of Bond’s companion, Tilly.

Page 1 of 7
Page 1 of 7
Chief Bromden (Will Sampson)

Chief Bromden (Will Sampson)

The Mute: A 6’7 Native American known as “Chief”, believed by the Staff and Patients of Oregon State Hospital to be completely mute.

When he is befriended by the anti-authoritarian RP McMurphy (Jack Nicholson), we discover the Chief may not be quite as speechless as he maintains.

The Obligatory Dialogue: “Ah, Juicy Fruit”, the Chief utters as McMurphy offers him a stick of gum.

Silent But Deadly: His last act is a humane one. Before escaping the Hospital, he smothers the lobotmised McMurphy with a pillow, ending the suffering of his friend.

Page 2 of 7
Page 2 of 7
Sphinx (Vinnie Jones)

Sphinx (Vinnie Jones)

The Mute: He's a hard as nails car-jacker.

The Obligatory Dialogue: Right at the end of the film, The Sphinx turns philosopher and gives a Shakespearian speech.

Should have probably kept his mouth shut.

Silent But Deadly: The first time we see The Sphinx, he rescues Memphis from a local gang by beating the shit out of several of them, then blowing up their car.

Nothing compared to the havoc he used to wreak on opposition strikers though, eh Gazza?

Page 3 of 7
Page 3 of 7
Ryu (Ha-kyun Shin)

Ryu (Ha-kyun Shin)

The Mute: Ryu is a deaf-mute factory worker who is desperate to find a replacement Kidney for his ailing sister.

When he is fired from his job, he uses his severance pay, and one of his own kidneys to pay for a black market organ… but he is double crossed and left with nothing.

The Obligatory Dialogue: No dialogue, he's a proper mute.

Silent But Deadly: Ryu ambushes the organ dealers. He kills the sorry lot, and in a twist of poetic justice, removes and eats their kidneys. Actions speak louder than words indeed.

Page 4 of 7
Page 4 of 7
Dwayne (Paul Dano)

Dwayne (Paul Dano)

The Mute: After reading Nitsche, Dwayne decides to take a vow of silence until he can fulfil his dream of becoming a pilot in the Navy.

The Obligatory Dialogue: Finding out he’s colour blind, and therefore unable to be a pilot, Dwayne makes Richard pull over. He runs down the embankment and falls to his knees, screaming, “Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck!”

Nice way to break nine months of silence.

Silent But Deadly: Has a hissy fit in the back of the van, punching stuff. Don’t think it would kill anybody, but still, somebody might have gotten a black eye.

Page 5 of 7
Page 5 of 7
Kong (Pawalit Mongkolpisit)

Kong (Pawalit Mongkolpisit)

The Mute: In this vastly superior original film, the debut of Pang Brothers Danny and Oxide, mute assassin Kong goes about his kill list with ruthless efficiency. Unable to hear his target’s pleas for mercy, he is a perfect killer.

When he meets a pretty pharmacist, he realises that life is precious and decides to mend his ways.

The Obligatory Dialogue: Why speak, when you can say it with bullets.

Silent But Deadly: Seeking revenge for the death of his mentor, Kong infiltrates a water-bottling plant that serves as mob headquarters, and proceeds to kill everybody inside.

Page 6 of 7
Page 6 of 7
Silent Bob (Kevin Smith)

Silent Bob (Kevin Smith)

The Mute: In this movie Silent Bob and his mate Jay decide to bring down the stage being built for Dating Game rip-off “Truth or Date”, and set about their mission with a series of schemes Wile E. Coyote would be proud of.

The Obligatory Dialogue: “Adventure, excitement… a Jedi craves not these things” – When asked by Jay how he procured the schematics for the stage design.

Silent But Deadly: During several hilarious attempts at destroying the stage, Silent Bob tries to take down mall security guard LaFours with a ‘Ghetto-sock’ (a heavy roll of quarters in a tube sock), which, in a darker film, would be very deadly indeed.

Page 7 of 7
Page 7 of 7
Dan Goodswen
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