SPEAK NO EVIL (2024) - Mark Reviews Movies

Speak No Evil, Universal Pictures

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Review by Mark Dujsik | September 13, 2024

The original certainly isn't for everyone, but Speak No Evil, an American remake of the two-year-old Danish horror film of the same name, definitely isn't for those who appreciated how far that film took its twisted study of how much people are willing to do—or, more vitally, not do—in order to stay polite. The good news, perhaps, is that writer/director James Watkins hasn't ruined the surprise of the shocking finale of the original film for those who haven't seen it.

His version, though, has undone the horrifying logic of that ending and, hence, the entire point of the story. Worse, Watkins doesn't even succeed in transforming the third act into a competent thriller.

A change to that finale was almost a guarantee for any adaptation that wanted to be marketable, so it's not as if the last stretch of this version comes as a surprise. In fact, Watkins might have been able to get away with the shift if he had found a way to make it function on its own terms. He hasn't, and it doesn't.

That's a shame, because the setup remains intact here and plays in the same register as the 2022 film. It follows an American couple, recently moved to London and on vacation in Italy, named Ben (Scoot McNairy) and Louise (Mackenzie Davis). They have an 11-year-old daughter named Agnes (Alix West Lefler), so when the trio meet another family while relaxing at a fancy resort, it's a nice opportunity for everyone to make friends.

That other family, basically a mirror image of the American one, consists of Paddy (James McAvoy), his wife Ciara (Aisling Franciosi), and their son Ant (Dan Hough). Paddy is vocal and outgoing, while Ben is quiet and has an air that can be best described as apologetic. Louise isn't too afraid to speak her mind, and Ciara is smiley but meek.

The two kids get along fine, even though Paddy explains that Ant has a condition that makes it difficult for him to communicate verbally. The other parents don't bring it up and, later, tell Agnes that it's rude to say that something isn't right or "normal" about the boy, although she's talking about something else entirely.

The dynamics here are essentially the same as they were in the original, not only in terms of the characters, but also by way of how much it plays as a kind of comedy of manners. Paddy and Ciara invite the other family to visit their farm in the English countryside. With nothing better to do and thinking that spending time with another kid might help Agnes' anxiety, Ben and Louise agree.

The stay results in a gradual escalation of discomfort and uncertainty for the visiting family. At first, it's the little things, such as Agnes having to sleep on a small mattress in the attic and the sheets in the guest room being stained and filthy. Soon enough, there are slightly more significant faux pas, such as Paddy insisting Louise be the first to eat the goose he cooked for their first dinner together, even though the two of them discussed her vegetarianism while they were in Italy. Did he just forget that detail about his guest, and either way, why doesn't Louise simply say something?

That second question, as it relates to both Louise and Ben, is at the core of the humor and the rising, unsettling feeling that something—or a lot of things—could go wrong in this situation. Watkins and the actors play that social tension subtly, in moments where passing comments and brief looks, mainly on Paddy's part, offend—but are only matched by sideways glances or private conversations between Louise and Ben. It would be rude and uncomfortable, after all, to disparage their hosts or make a scene. When things are said and done that even the guests can't ignore or overlook or try to justify in some way, either Paddy or Ciara has a perfectly reasonable or sympathetic excuse or rationale to explain.

For a while, it appears as if Watkins gets the source material's purpose and tone, aided quite a bit by these actors. McNairy is quite good as a guy who cowers to social niceties, but his role, the central focus of the original, is overshadowed by McAvoy's eerie combination of charm and ignoring boundaries and Davis as the occasional voice of reason. Franciosi brings an unexpected bit of mystery to Ciara, who might be a willing or coerced part of what's really going on behind the scenes.

Anyway, all of this really comes down to the payoff of Speak No Evil. While Watkins does some intriguing things with perspective for a key revelation and comes close to finding a way of transforming forced politeness into the mechanism of the climax, the whole thing does quickly turn into a routine, formulaic standoff, relying on certain characters over-explaining the game and others making dumb choices, despite being fully aware of what's happening. This isn't just the wrong ending for this material, in other words. It's a poorly executed one, piling an insult to the audience's intelligence atop an insult to the original film.

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