Posted by Speak No Evil; 2024; Adapted and Directed by James Watkins, based on the film written & directed by Christian Tafdrup; Starring James McAvoy, Mackenzie Davis, Scoot McNairy, Aisling Franciosi; Rated R; Blumhouse; 1h50m; theatrically released September 13.
Audience to Blumhouse: Why remake the 2022 Danish film Speak No Evil, when the original is easy to find, and mostly in English already?
Blumhouse to the audience: Because you let us.
Yes, Speak No Evil: Danish Version (written and directed by Christian Tafdrup) was only released two years ago. It’s included on Shudder, AMC, and for free on Hoopla if you have a library card, or rentable for a few bucks. It’s already mostly in English, as English is the shared language between the two families at the center of the story. It already made a splash, at least in horror circles, with a tight and thrilling story that is very easy to relate to the whys of the situation.
It’s also true the spoilerific trailer has played in front of just about every film at the multiplex for months. The sheer saturation of the marketing has become a joke of its own, at least among cinema-inclined folks (those of you reading this likely).
But let’s put both of those notes aside and treat the new version, adapted and directed by James Watkins, as its own thing. Unlike The Crow, the original has not become a cultural touchstone outside of “you need to see this now”, so a new take on the same idea isn’t beholden in the audience’s mind on the first go. Speak No Evil: American Edition (while taking place in England) stands on its own, carrying little of the baggage of living up to the previous incarnation. Heck, I’d go as far as to say it’s just as good of a film and the two versions complement one another well in how they approach the material. I believe one can watch the two close to one another without feeling “I’ve done this already”. With that said, I’ll put the 2022 film to the side, outside a moment or two, and speak to the merits of 2024.
Speak No Evil is a horror film in a comedy of manners. Even though Americans are often said to be loud, crass, pushy, and just plain rude; I feel this is a stereotype. There are people like that in all nationalities. I have seen the Ugly American on my travels, but also the Ugly Anywhere Else. I do believe the average American is the same as the average Any Anywhere Else-ian – kind, considerate, and not wanting to make waves. The exceptions are louder and more noticeable, but the default person is good and generally polite.
Thus, the crux of Speak No Evil explores pushing the boundaries of that politeness. It’s relatable. How much do you put up with so as not to make a fuss or avoid possibly turning a situation volatile? Someone has a speaker playing on the bus. The server brings you the wrong drink. You go to sit down at Speak No Evil and someone is in your chosen seat. Do you bring these up? Tell the person to put on headphones? Ask for a new drink? Or do you just go to a different seat if the theatre is mostly empty anyway? We all say “Oh I’d do this or that instead” for the characters in our horror movies. Speak No Evil asks “Would you? Really?”
When American married couple Ben (Scott McNairy) and Louise (Mackenzie Davis) and their daughter Agnes (Alix West Lefler) visit the home of English vacation friends couple Paddy (James MacAvoy) and Ciara (Aisling Franciosi) and son Ant (Dan Hough), their politeness and patience is pushed to the extreme. When they all met in Italy, Ben and Louise already had several moments of “should we say something?” but isolated at a country farm as guests, they are on edge about how to react when their hosts seem to unwittingly push their buttons. How much is just how Paddy and Ciara are, as we all have different levels of how we live life, but the question of “Are they doing this on purpose?” looms. If the Americans respond, will it turn their needed getaway into a “need to get away?” It doesn’t help that Ben and Louise are barely holding themselves together as people, even without Paddy and Ciara poking and prodding. Here’s one place I prefer this take – the characters are more fleshed out; there’s a noticeable difference in depth of character in our couples.
Of course, there is more of a threat present than mere being uncomfortable in the situation. While the elevated stress from cringe comedy is a strong element, there is a pervading air of menace. Ant is acting strange, and Paddy increasingly seems to have violence brimming just under the surface. While everyone is great, James MacAvoy kills as Paddy. We need him in more villain roles. As he did in Split, MacAvoy plays many levels at the same time, taking what could be unintentionally funny in the wrong hands and molds into an iconic monster. Man is a beast of a performer. And a beast of a man. As a walking pile of tight muscles, Professor X is looking like Wolverine over here. (a look at the Reddit discussion is a whole lot of “MacAvoy is hawt in this.” Even as a straight man, I won’t deny it).
There’s a strong sense of tension in every scene. It all feels off and it’s glorious. Watkins and cinematographer Tim Maurice-Jones use the encroaching space and a preponderance of holding close-ups to unseat the audience as much as Ben and Louise are on the farm. Watkins’s previous films, Eden Lake and The Woman in Black (also lensed by Maurice-Jones), have oppressive atmospheres and he brings that to Speak No Evil.
Awkward antics aren’t the whole run time, and when the patience breaks, it’s a glorious shift into more direct horror mode. While how the film works changes (while deep into the film, not really a spoiler as you know it has to be a satisfying film and I obviously recommend it), Speak No Evil doesn’t lose a step. It’s not really a big leap, but several smaller alterations that organically lead to where it goes. Yes, it is a little different than the original, but it doesn’t feel like a betrayal of Tafdrup’s film. It’s natural, and it does fit the American sensibilities and expectations in film trajectory (and in explanation, just so all the viewers are on the same page). It works. As I noted before, 2022 and 2024 work well as a pair. The entirety of the third act is edge-of-your-seat scary and pays off in great ways.
While on the outset Speak No Evil may seem unnecessary, with the original available, recent, and in English; the Blumhouse-produced remake is a solid, tense film on its own; with increased character and thrilling sequences of both uncomfortablity and terror.
B+
