Speak No Evil (2024)
SHOULD I SEE IT?
YES
Protect James McAvoy at all costs. As a diabolical, unhinged villain - there may be no one better at this right now.
Entertaining and quite witty for a long duration of the film’s run time, with an uneasy tension building the entire time, Speak No Evil is one of 2024’s biggest surprises.
The film alters the 2022 Danish original film’s conclusion. For mainstream American audiences, this will not be a complaint.
NO
But for those who prefer the original, the final act here will feel like something of a sellout to those who hold the 2022 film in such high regard.
Yes, I recognize the film’s premise is a little bit of a reach. However, some of the decisions made in this film will potentially break a viewers’ willing suspension of disbelief.
Some may feel that James McAvoy chews all the scenery and takes up too much space in the film. I disagree, but I have heard that frustration mentioned more than once.
OUR REVIEW
In a world where celebrities are embracing particular eras, James McAvoy is clearly in his Menace Era. From his groundbreaking turn as The Horde in M. Night Shyamalan’s Split, and the subpar sequel Glass, while also shining as something of an antihero in the HBO series “His Dark Materials,” McAvoy has gone from being cast as a superhero and romantic leading man to embodying characters of diabolical evil and endless unpredictability.
His fantastic turn as Paddy, in James Watkins’ Speak No Evil, a remake of a sinister and bleak 2022 Danish film of the same name, only cements his status as one of the most charismatic on-screen villains we have seen in quite some time. McAvoy’s exploration of character, his understanding of nuance, and the relative ease with which he slides into these roles makes him infinitely entertaining despite the heinous actions he depicts on screen.
Part of what makes this performance so winning is that McAvoy could easily be playing Paddy in a campy, melodramatic, inauthentic way. Instead, we are romanticized into liking him almost immediately from the awkward first interactions he and his wife Ciara (Aisling Franciosi) have with American expats Ben and Louise Dalton (Scoot McNairy and Mackenzie Davis), and their 11-year-old daughter Agnes (Alix West Lefler).
Meeting on separate mutual vacations in Italy, the couples, along with Paddy and Ciara’s son Ant (Dan Hough), become fast friends. Paddy, clearly the “alpha” personality, makes plans and arrangements for everyone and the more passive Ben and Louise find themselves willingly nudged into uncomfortable spaces.
As we learn more about how Ben, Louise and Agnes ended up in Italy, by way of London and by way of America, we see fissures within a marriage that Paddy has already detected. Watkins’ adaptation of Christian Tafdrup’s film, written by Christian and his brother Mads, is unsettling and often quite humorous for much of its running time. In part, we are laughing at McAvoy’s brazen attitude and his wife’s quirky characteristics, along with the exposed raw nerves which appear when Ben, Louise and Agnes inexplicably find themselves driving to a remote British farm, agreeing to spend a week with their newfound friends at their home.
When the story starts to unravel, Agnes grows closer to Ant. Their connection allows Watkins to begin to tighten the screws and ratchet up the anxiety. Ant, who lacks an ability to speak, continually tries to communicate with Agnes whenever they are alone. Louise soon starts running out of patience with Paddy’s behavior and the film begins exploring themes of toxic versus passive masculinity. Tensions build effectively before reaching a crescendo that may ultimately disappoint fans of the original film, but left the audience I sat with very, very pleased.
There is great attention to detail in Speak No Evil. Paddy and Ciara’s home is full of trinkets, odd collectibles and assorted distractions which could possibly serve as clues to what is ultimately happening here. Tim Maurice-Jones’ impressive work behind the camera adds to the uncertainties before us, shifting focus from claustrophobic closeness and suffocating tightness to sweeping shots of a vast farming compound. With its baffling design and irregular-sized rooms, the farmhouse emerges as its own character before morphing into an arena where a battle of wits will ultimately play out before us.
For all its violent tendencies and manipulative psychological moments, Watkins deftly addresses how men and women respond to masculinity, while also repurposing the original film’s screenplay into a densely layered analysis of sacrifice.
What are we willing to give up for personal enrichment? How far are we willing to go to validate our worth? How much can we truly handle? When is enough truly enough?
Speak No Evil may push the limits at times with a viewer’s willing suspension of disbelief. However, the conversations it could generate are as important to discuss as they are timely in our world.
Plus…watching James McAvoy create another masterful and charismatic villain is pretty much worth the price of admission all by itself.
CAST & CREW
Starring: James McAvoy, Mackenzie Davis, Scoot McNairy, Aisling Franciosi, Alix West Lefler, Dan Hough, Kris Hitchen
Director: James Watkins
Written by: James Watkins
Adapted from the screenplay “Speak No Evil” by Christian Tafdrup and Mads Tafdrup
Release Date: September 13, 2024
Universal Pictures