James Berardinelli review - *** out of ****

https://www.reelviews.net/reelviews/speak-no-evil

Back in the 1980s and 1990s, there was a popular thriller trope in which a character (or group of characters) would form a connection with a stranger (or strangers) but, over time, the actions and motivations of one character would turn murderous. These movies, which had titles like The Hand that Rocks the Cradle and Single White Female, became popular destinations for movie-goers who liked their Friday night multiplex fixes predictable albeit spicy. Every once-in-a-while, a movie of this sort pops up, as if to remind us that this subgenre has never really gone away. Speak No Evil is one; it’s also better-made than most of what Hollywood churned out on a regular basis 30 years ago.

Speak No Evil is a remake of a Danish film from all the way back in 2022. Although not qualifying as an obscure film (it’s easy streamed on Shudder), it will likely be new material to the average non-subtitle-reading viewer. The main story has been transferred seamlessly from the Netherlands to rural England (“The West Country”) with the nationalities of the participants shifting from Danish/Dutch to American/British. There are two notable differences between the original and the Blumhouse-funded remake: all sex and nudity has been removed (although is still R-rated) and the third act has been radically changed to avoid the box office poison that would have resulted had the earlier production’s ending been retained. (I won’t argue that either is “better” although they result in very different movies when considered in retrospect.)

Speak No Evil opens in Italy with a meeting between two vacationing families. The Daltons – father Ben (Scoot McNairy), mother Louise (Mackenzie Davis), and daughter Agnes (Alix West Lefler) – are Americans living in London. Paddy (James McAvoy), Ciara (Aisling Franciosi), and their mute son, Ant (Dan Hough), are friendly British travelers. When Paddy and Ciara invite Ben, Louise, and Agnes to spend a week at their farm, the Americans agree, hoping a week in the country will help heal their marriage and revive their spirits. It soon becomes clear, however, that Paddy and his family don’t live by “conventional” rules. Almost immediately, Louise begins regretting accepting the invitation, especially when she notes that the bedding appears to be soiled and Paddy doesn’t respect her request for a vegetarian meal. After a couple of days (and nights), Louise has had enough and demands that they leave immediately, but it quickly becomes clear there are more obstacles to escaping the farm than merely navigating the long, winding roads.

Director James Watkins, known best for The Woman in Black, recognizes how to get the best out of a limited budget. Over the course of the film’s first hour, he gradually ratchets up the creepiness factor, transforming a seemingly idyllic vacation spot into a fraught and uncomfortable trap. When it comes time to diverge from the original, Watkins does so with flair. The final half-hour makes the leap from slow-burn horror to action-oriented thriller without losing a step. In the end, we’re in “refrigerator movie” territory (a film that holds together in the moment but falls apart upon later reflection), but it’s fun while sitting in a theater watching the story unfold. There is an ugly surprise that generates an expected reaction.

One wonders whether Watkins cast James McAvoy after seeing him in M. Night Shyamalan’s Split. McAvoy is a joy to watch as his seemingly normal, jovial portrayal of Paddy shifts into something darker and more sinister. The change is gradual – the glimpses we see of the man’s underlying personality don’t emerge all at once. In fact, at one point, Ben seems to fall under Paddy’s spell even as Louise’s distrust mounts. McAvoy’s performance so captivates the camera that everyone else struggles to be noticed. Mackenzie Davis does her best to provide a foil for Paddy but Scoot McNairy, saddled with an emasculated role, comes across as whiny and a little annoying.

Questions of logic are reasonable but, although the movie doesn’t provide sufficient backstory to answer most of them, it overcomes many such objections by amplifying the sense of dread. One might argue that the film’s trailers give away too much – and they are more spoiler-laden that many – but, having seen them, I didn’t feel that they limited my enjoyment of the proceedings. Even without knowing, there’s a sense from the beginning that something is “off” about Paddy and the film’s biggest twist is kept hidden. Overall, although this version of Speak No Evil doesn’t leave as deep or lasting an impact as its predecessor, it represents another in the seemingly-endless Blumhouse stable of low-budget films to warrant a recommendation for those who appreciate the genre.