I like Michael Mann movies.  I make no bones about it.  If I had to guess, I’d say Mennan Yapo also likes Michael Mann movies.  I’ve only seen one of Yapo’s films, but having watched Soundless, I can say I liked it much better the first time I saw it…when it was called Heat.

I would like to take a moment to apologize for using an already overused (not to mention dated) joke one more time, thus drilling it down further into the bedrock of tired euphemisms which make up the common vernacular.  That said, I can’t think of any other way to sum this movie up.  It’s not a bad film.  It’s well shot, well acted and reasonably well scripted.  It’s just nothing new.

Soundless follows professional killer Felix (Joachim Krỏl) as he inadvertently falls in love with an innocent bystander (Nadja Uhl) who just happens to be sleeping next to one of his victims.  Felix goes against his better judgment and approaches her, ultimately saving her life as she tries to jump off a bridge and drown herself. 

Up until now, only the movie’s style is reminiscent of Mann’s work.  The music, camera work, and lighting all scream Heat and Collateral.  Then detective Lang (Christian Berkel) is assigned the case and suddenly we have another William L. Peterson character circa 1986’s Manhunter. 

Yes, that’s right.  He’s a detective that gets into the same frame of mind as his quarry.  He sleeps at the crime scenes.  He puts himself behind the eyes of the killer to re-imagine each event.  He buys new shoes for every case.  He’s quirky.  Not in a Monk way.  No, he’s much too cool for that.  Let’s just say he’s quirkier than Pacino’s character in Heat but has less magnetism. 

Thus begins the chase, with our hero (the killer because he only kills really bad guys) looking to make one last hit before starting a new life with the girl he’s fallen in love with.

Is any one else seeing a similarity here?  Sure DeNiro’s character was a thief, but other than that, this is the same movie.  Lang admires Felix for his ability to disappear and be completely soundless in performing his hits.  Felix realizes Lang is going to stop at nothing to find him and thus will have to both perform this last hit and escape the country by outsmarting probably the only man in the world who could possibly catch him.

Yapo handles the movie capably enough and gets you from point A to point B with little trouble.  However, this film runs at a neat 96 minutes.  Yapo has no time at all to establish the characters beyond what I’ve explained above.  Felix and Lang’s relationship and their similarities are brushed over.  Where Mann took great pains to help you see DeNiro’s yin to Pacino’s yang, Yapo moves so fast that what you get is a movie that feels like Heat-Lite.  You won’t think about it much after you turn off the DVD player.

Like I said above, though, this film looks good.  Yapo uses his settings well and, while he didn’t have the budget to shoot any sweeping helicopter shots of the city moving at night (a Mann trademark), he still captures that other Mann trademark, the gleaming, sparkling clean modern metropolis.  There are a handful of shots with graffiti in them but mostly we get lots of steel and glass. 

I’ve always liked that about Mann’s work.  Even the train at the end of Collateral looks clean, and I’ve ridden that train.  I know better.  Yapo makes Berlin look very much the same and since I’ve never been to Germany I have no idea if he’s creating an illusion or if this is truly how the place looks. 

The final twenty minutes are devoted to Felix attempting to escape with the girl and even this feels a bit too rushed.  People fall into their roles way too easily and the whole thing just quickly comes to an end. 

As a popcorn movie, you could do worse than this.  Yapo definitely has a way with the camera.  Just don’t ask too much of this film and you won’t be disappointed.

Presentation
Soundless is presented in widescreen and Yapo uses it very well.  Like I said, the guy has skills.  As for the sound, it’s recorded in Dolby Digital so it sounds fine.  The film is in German with English subtitles.  Don’t let that scare you off, though.  If you like this genre and are looking for something to watch, don’t necessarily pass this up at the video store.

Extras
Koch Lorber Films proudly displays on the back packaging that this film does indeed have a DVD extra.  That extra is the Original German Trailer. 

Dear Koch Lorber Films,

Don’t overtax yourselves with the special features, guys. 

Sincerely,
Cary Christopher

So, in thirty words or less…did you like it?
An interview, a cast reel, anything else might have helped me get a little more out of this film.  Still, it’s not a bad flick.  It’s just nothing mind-blowing.