Speak No Evil

 

“Why are you doing this? Because you let me.”

Tense, taught and stressful, Speak No Evil is a steadily unsettling psychological thriller that captivates its audience thanks to the charisma of James McAvoy and the isolated location which lock you into a nightmare trap that you can’t look away from in a mainstream remake sure to enthral audiences. 

Discussion Points:

James Watkins places enough of a fresh stamp on this remake of the 2022 Danish film to warrant its existence - and a lot of that is thanks to the tremendous James McAvoy alongside strong work from Mackenzie Davis, Scoot McNairy and Aisling Franciosi. Plus two great child actors in Alix West Lefler and scene stealer Dan Hough. But this really is McAvoy’s show - giving a performance that rivals that of his career-best work in Split! He is filled with charisma, that on a needles edge gives way to rage and fury. He is imposing and yet welcoming, unsettling and yet deeply disarming. From one moment where he makes you laugh, to another where he makes you shiver - a truly enrapturing performance. And he gives a cover of The Bangle’s Eternal Flame that will forever change the way I listen to that song going forth. The film itself is mostly effective, albeit taking a while to devolve into its more horror leanings and the film likely could’ve been shorter and taken out some of the prolonging filler that does help build dread, but also begins to feel repetitive as the writing begins to appear on the wall. Still an incredibly taught and tense psychological thriller, that also has a lot to say about the lengths we go to maintain politeness and the necessity of honesty, even when it may hurt in the short term, but safeguard the long term. Really surprised by how much I liked this.