SPEAK NO EVIL

The constant dread and unease in thriller remake Speak No Evil do not keep you on the edge, as most of the thrills are predictable and the climax fails to get your blood sufficiently pumping.

Speak No Evil starts in a sun-soaked Italy, where an American couple and their daughter befriend an English couple and their mute son. Accepting an invitation from the English family to visit them in their remote home in Devon, the budding friendship gradually turns sour, as odd behaviour from both the couple and their son sets of alarm bells.

If that story sounds familiar, it might be because Speak No Evil is a remake of the critically acclaimed Danish-Dutch film of the same name that came out a mere two years ago. That very swift English-language adaptation speaks to the power of the original, but despite some virtues a lot is lost in translation.

Let’s start off with the good: director James Watkins excels in mood and atmosphere, using the cinematic image to continually hint at sinister things lurking beneath the surface. His approach might not fully cover up the overall predictability of the narrative, but – especially in the movie’s first half – he keeps you entertained, aided by an as usual committed performance by James McAvoy.

Now for the bad: once Speak No Evil enters the final stretch, the picture starts to deviate wildly from the original’s bleak and disturbing denouement, in favour of an ending that offers light instead of darkness. Remember how 1993’s The Vanishing totally butchered the Dutch original’s ending? Speak No Evil does something similar and should not be forgiven for it either.

So while I’d be hard-pressed to call this a bad movie, Speak No Evil is without a doubt a lazy, pandering film that at first suggests it dares to subvert, only to trick you with the least exciting final act option possible.

release: 2024

director: James Watkins

starring: James McAvoy, Mackenzie Davies, Scoot McNairy, Aisling Franciosi