A mute hitman, a political conspiracy, and chaos in post-Soviet Russia—what could go wrong?
A prominent statesman orders the secret services to assassinate a certain banker who is planning to run for president. The perfect hitman must be extracted from the zone where he is serving time for murder and must remain silent. The guy has been serving 15 years for the accidental death of a drunken general during a hunting trip. He is also known by the nickname "The Mute." You couldn't come up with a better candidate. But the perfect hitman goes out of control.
Acting
Abdulov's brooding intensity as 'The Mute' carries every scene.
Production
Perfectly captures crumbling post-Soviet institutional rot.
Director
Viktor Sergeev
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Released the same year as 'The Fifth Element'—two wildly different visions of 1997.
Part of a wave of Russian crime thrillers examining 1990s oligarchic violence; the title 'Schizophrenia' refers to national identity, not mental illness.
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