I’m not the biggest horror/thriller film fan. I get scared easily, abhor jump scares, and I most certainly detest the feeling of unease that most horror/thriller films instill in the audience. So why am I reviewing the new James Watkins thriller Speak No Evil (a remake of the 2022 Danish film)? Well, it’s for one reason: James McAvoy. After seeing him play the crazy villain in Split, I hoped to see him in a similar role again. So when I saw he was playing the villain in Speak No Evil, I put on my big boy pants and went to go see it, despite my usual avoidance of such films. Did this film surprise me and become one of my favourite James McAvoy performances to date? Or will it be just another film that will haunt my nightmares in the wee hours of the morning? Let’s find out.
Speak No Evil follows an American family that has moved to London and is going through some struggles. Ben Dalton (Scoot McNairy) is recovering from being made redundant, and his wife Louise (Mackenzie Davis) is also struggling to find work in a new city. Their 12-year-old daughter Agnes (Alix West) has an anxiety-driven attachment to her stuffed rabbit Hoppy, which is driving Ben nuts. The family decides to take a holiday to Italy, and during their stay, meet Paddy (James McAvoy), Ciara (Aisling Franciosi), and their son Ant (Dan Hough).
Ben grows envious of Paddy’s seemingly perfect family, and the two become fast friends, so much so that Paddy invites the Daltons to visit their home in the English countryside. Although Louise is hesitant to go to an almost complete stranger’s home, Ben ends up guilting her into going. But once they arrive, all is not as it seems. Will this scenic getaway be more than Ben bargained for? Or is this just what his family needs?
This story isn’t anything special for the thriller genre. Even as someone who has seen a limited amount of these films, it still felt familiar. A family with troubles meets the ideal family on holiday, they become friends, and then it all goes downhill. What makes this story stand above the rest, though, is the tension-building it accomplishes throughout the film. As soon as the Daltons meet Paddy and Ciara, the anxiety begins to set in.
Every line, every action, every facial expression that Paddy makes slowly instills a feeling of dread. Ramp that up to 11 when the Daltons arrive at Paddy’s home, and a once basic thriller story turns into an experience that will keep you in a perpetual state of anxiety as you just wait for the moment everything snaps. While it does drag a little in the later half of the second act (even if it does maintain the tension building), I still thoroughly enjoyed squirming in my seat as I awaited the eventual chaos. But you don’t like feeling that uneasy, I hear you say. True, but the performances were so captivating that I was able to overcome that fear, especially McAvoy’s.
As I mentioned earlier, James McAvoy was the main reason I wanted to check out this film, and he didn’t disappoint. His performance as Paddy was the highlight of the entire film and the main source of all the tension. When the film introduces us to Paddy, he’s portrayed as a charismatic and loving father that Ben strives to be. But once the Dalton’s arrive at his house, the mask slowly slips. Whether it’s the slight inflections in his voice, the awkward pausing, the blank stares, or even his erratic movements, all of this helps to build a sense of unease whenever he’s on screen.
It also helps that he is built like a brick shit house. Mans is buff as fuck in this film which adds to his character’s intimidation. Without delving into spoilers, watching his personality shift from scene to scene as he tries to maintain his charismatic façade was excellent. I need McAvoy to take on more of these roles ASAP.
With regards to the rest of the cast, they did a decent job. For the most part, they’re your standard cast of characters for these types of films, with only a handful of standout moments. Mackenzie Davis, as Louise, probably gets the most out of these moments, almost rivaling McAvoy’s performance in several parts of the film. Aisling Franciosi as Ciara was a toned-down Paddy but still had some good scenes that helped build tension.
Scoot McNairy as Ben was my least-liked character in the film and is the one who makes all the boneheaded decisions that these films always entail. He also doesn’t like stuffed animals, which put him on my shit list early on. The child actors did well, but again, nothing spectacular. Overall, a solid cast with some good moments, but nothing I would claim is excellent (except for McAvoy and one or two scenes from Davis).
If you’re going into this film expecting a bunch of scares and horror gore, you will be left disappointed. The last act has some home invasion elements, but the bulk of the film is just waiting for something to happen, which is both good and bad. Good because of how uneasy it makes you feel, but bad because some things are never followed up on. The best way I can describe it is that this film is filled with multiple Chekov’s guns, and only half are revisited.
The film introduces all these cool ideas and possibilities to build the tension, and you’d expect to come back around and impact the story in some way, but they don’t. It does suck because, especially in the second half of the film, there are so many visual hints introduced that seemingly tease some gruesome and interesting things, but they go nowhere. It didn’t ruin the film for me too much, but it was one of the main things that stuck with me after the credits rolled.
Speak No Evil is one of the tensest films I’ve seen in recent years. The decent story is elevated by the constant feeling of unease and a stellar performance from McAvoy. While the rest of the cast doesn’t quite match his performance, they do solid jobs and have some good moments. And while the constant tension-building is a bit detrimental to the pacing and maybe introduces one too many possibilities that aren’t returned to, I still had a good time with this film. If you’re looking for a film to make you pucker your butt, check out Speak No Evil.
Have you seen Speak No Evil? What did you think? Were you captivated by James McAvoy’s biceps? Let us know in the comments where we can talk all things thriller.
I’m just going to watch for the Scoot McNairy and McKensie Davis, Halt and Catch Fire reunion. Love those actors. That said I usually enjoy these kinda films even if they’re not something I go back to ever again.