At first blush, I might not seem like the best guy to review the Speak No Evil remake. I wasn't a big fan of the 2022 Danish original, so I initially had zero interest in this new American version. I started to come around when the early reactions and reviews came out. Not only did the film garner some strong buzz, but critics especially praised James McAvoy's performance. That's what really sold me. I'm a huge fan of McAvoy's work, so I simply couldn't resist the opportunity to see another great outing from him. I bought a ticket for opening night as soon as possible, and now that I've finally seen the movie, I'm happy to report that I had a great time with it.
Speak No Evil was written and directed by James Watkins, and it stars the aforementioned James McAvoy along with Mackenzie Davis, Aisling Franciosi, Alix West Lefler, Dan Hough, and Scoot McNairy. In the film, Ben and Louise are an American couple living in London with their daughter, Agnes, and while on vacation in Italy, they meet Paddy, Ciara, and their son, Ant. The two couples immediately hit it off, and after their trip is over, Ben and Louise receive an invitation from their new friends to spend the weekend at their countryside home.
Despite some understandable hesitancy about visiting a family they don't really know, the couple accept the invite. Then, almost immediately after they arrive, their hosts begin exhibiting some odd and even inappropriate behavior. It gets so bad that Ben and Louise take their daughter and start to drive back home in the middle of the night, but they return when Agnes freaks out about leaving her favorite stuffed animal behind. From there, Paddy and Ciara's strange antics escalate, and the weekend getaway eventually culminates in a winner-take-all fight for survival.
Like most remakes, Speak No Evil hits lots of the same plot beats as the 2022 original, but the filmmakers change many of the details. For example, there's a scene in the Danish version involving a slide, and something very similar happens in the remake, but it revolves around a swing instead. That's often a very dangerous game, as it risks making the movie a bland rehash of its predecessor, but this remake has one thing the original film lacks: James McAvoy.
The entire cast here does solid work, especially in the third act, but this is very clearly the James McAvoy show. He plays Paddy, and if you look up the term "chewing the scenery" in the dictionary, you just might find a picture of McAvoy in Speak No Evil. This guy is absolutely magnetic and darkly hilarious, and when he does something strange, he comes across as a smarter, more intentional version of Michael Scott from The Office. He carries this film for about the first hour, so whether you've seen the original movie or not, his performance almost single-handedly justifies this remake's existence.
Then, as the horror kicks into gear, the film gets even better. At about the one-hour mark, writer/director James Watkins makes a narrative decision that, on paper, might seem to ruin the movie's surprises. However, it's executed so well that it does the exact opposite. I won't spoil it, but I can say that it immediately cranks the tension up to eleven. From there, the film just keeps rolling, maintaining that edge-of-your-seat suspense for much longer than you'd expect, and the longer it sticks around, the more effective it becomes. By the time Watkins breaks it and finally goes for broke with a super fun cat-and-mouse game, your hands might hurt from gripping your armrests too hard, but you'll love every second of it.
Moreover, when Paddy reveals his dark side, James McAvoy's performance also undergoes an amazing metamorphosis. The guy becomes both utterly sadistic and coldly apathetic, and while that may sound like an oxymoron, McAvoy pulls it off without breaking a sweat. He shows off the kind of range that made his work in M. Night Shyamalan's Split and Glass so impressive, so if there's any doubt that he's one of the best actors working today, his excellent turn as Paddy in Speak No Evil should put it to rest.
Last but not least, I want to talk a bit about the message of Speak No Evil. I don't remember if the Danish version had much of a message, but this one does. In fact, the movie touches on a few important themes, but the one that resonated with me the most involves one of our culture's most deep-seated obsessions. A key line of dialogue in the first hour makes the horrors-to-come a metaphor for the phoniness of social media, and I genuinely appreciated that. The idea that social media makes it all too easy to put on a false front isn't exactly groundbreaking, but it's still worth saying. It's a big problem in our society, especially among our youth, and I'm happy whenever a film helps get that message out.
So, if you're looking for some good new horror, I recommend checking out Speak No Evil. Remakes often get a bad rep among movie fans, but this one is worth your time. It features a fantastic lead performance and plays out slightly differently than the 2022 original, so it'll keep you on your toes even if you're already familiar with the story. On top of all that, this film has some top-notch horror and a good message to boot, so it's pretty much the total package.
Speak No Evil is playing in theaters right now.