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Film: Speak No Evil
Year: 2024
Director: James Watkins
Writer: James Watkins
Starring: James McAvoy, Mackenzie Davis and Scoot McNairy
Review:
This was a movie that I was leery about seeing since this is the American adaptation of the Dutch/Danish film. I try to avoid reading articles or hearing news about movies to keep as blank a slate as I can, but something that caught my attention was that writer/director Watkins said that he they changed the direction of how this story plays out. I'm a big fan of the original so that made me pause. I am also a fan of James McAvoy, who stars as the husband of the couple who hosts. I didn't realize until settling in that his wife in the film is played by Aisling Franciosi, who is another actor I'm a fan of too.
Synopsis: a family gets invited to spend a whole weekend in a lonely home in the countryside, but as the weekend progresses, they'll soon realize that the family who invited them has a dark side.
We start this in Italy where we are following the Dalton family on vacation. Louise (Mackenzie Davis) and Ben (Scoot McNairy) are struggling. They uprooted their lives to move to London for his work, but then that office closed. They decided to stay there. There was then an incident that strained their relationship to build on their problems. They also have a daughter, Agnes (Alix West Lefler). There’s an ongoing issue that she has a stuffed rabbit to help with her anxiety. Ben wants her to give it up. Louise doesn't think it is as big a deal.
During this vacation they meet Paddy (McAvoy), his wife Clara (Franciosi) and their son Ant (Dan Hough). They hit it off and spent the rest of the trip together. Everyone goes back to their normal lives when the Daltons get a postcard, inviting them to visit this family. Ben thinks it is a good idea and Louise gives in, hoping it will help. The issue is that they live out in the middle of nowhere.
Louise finds certain things odd once they arrive, which upsets Ben. She does tell him that she will try to make the trip enjoyable. Agnes is to sleep in the same room as Ant, on a makeshift bed on the floor. There is a stain on the blanket in the adult’s room which bothers Louise. To make matters worse, there are things that this family says and does that rub her the wrong way. Ben isn’t as bothered by it at first. They are made to feel bad as well when this hosting couple has reasoning. This is just the beginning of a nightmare trip that might never end.
That is where I'll leave my recap and introduction to the characters. Where I want to start is that I was pleasantly surprised with what we got here. I didn't realize until seeing another person's review that Watkins, the writer/director, is the same person who did Eden Lake. I'm glad to see that both this and that older movie have an uncomfortable tone. This is more of a slow escalation with the longer their time spent together. I also love how every time Ben or Louise brings up something, there is a logical explanation that makes them question their thoughts. That has happened to me and I appreciate it.
Let me then break down both families. I'll start with our leads, the Daltons. This does a subtle job at developing their situation and their relationship. We get parts as things go on which was good. There was a form of infidelity which added to the tension. They seem to be toeing the line of divorce before coming here. Both are avoiding dealing with their issues and just going through the motions. That worked for me. I'll credit McNairy and Davis for their performances. Lefler is also good as the daughter that both parents love. Ben has his issues due to her need for the stuffed animal that feels real as well. It also builds tension with different things there.
Then on the other side we have this family that hosts them. What I like is that they do things differently. It isn't wrong, or at least some things aren't. They like to push the buttons of the Daltons. It is clear as things progress to see how much they can get away with. They toe a fine line of assessing the waters to see how much this family staying with them will put up with before breaking. There is gaslighting for sure. Later in the movie a character named Mike (Kris Hitchen) calls Paddy out and I loved that, because what he says is true. I don't want to spoil it though. I will say here that McAvoy and Franciosi are great in their roles. They are so good that you don't trust them, from the start. You also don't know if what they're saying is real or if they are telling stories.
Where I want to go would be filmmaking. I want to start this by saying if you're going to remake a movie, then remake it. I'm not a fan of shot for shot since I could watch the original. Hearing that they were going to do this in English and then changing the ending had me concerned. I'm glad that this kept the tone for the buildup. Where it goes in the end is something that we've seen before. I can roll with it though. There are brutal effects used, which I'm a fan of. I'm glad they did that. It looked to be done practical so credit there. Then for the soundtrack, they use 80s music which made me smile. I'm a sucker for that. It adds an odd feeling that worked so well since it is the opposite with what we’re seeing. I’m a fan of that dichotomy.
There isn't anything else that I needed explore so in conclusion, I was pleasantly surprised here. The biggest thing for me was keeping the tension and the uncomfortable feeling, which they do. The acting by McAvoy and Franciosi was great. How they manipulated this other couple was good. I also think Davis and McNairy work since the reasoning given makes sense. This group all fits their characters well. I think I'd stick around like they do. This was well-made. There is a brutalness to the effects which I appreciated and the soundtrack adds an interesting feel. Not better than the original, but I think this is worth a watch if you like these types of films.
My Rating: 8 out of 10