REVIEW — “Speak No Evil”

A heart-pounding psychological thriller that is as tense as it is hilarious, Speak No Evil settles you in for a deeply unsettling but wildly entertaining theater-going experience.

Writer-director James Watkins delivers an unnerving, chilling, and disturbing story of a dream holiday gone wrong. While based on a 2022 Danish thriller of the same name, this Speak No Evil remake from Blumhouse and Universal Pictures is built as a more nervously hilarious, crowd pleaser that delivers its own share of shocking surprises and dynamic performances.

While vacationing in Italy with their 11-year-old daughter Agnes (Alix West Lefler), American couple Louise (Mackenzie Davis) and Ben Dalton (Scoot McNairy) befriend a charming British family and accept an invitation to spend the weekend at their idyllic countryside estate. However, once there, the charm of Paddy (McAvoy) and his wife Ciara (Aisling Franciosi) begins to wear off as their mute son Ant (Dan Hough) begins to hint at a disturbing family secret.

As one of the finest actors of his generation, James McAvoy goes absolutely beast-mode in this film as a “doctor” whose convincing and alluring hospitality masks an unspeakable darkness. The deceptively jacked actor possesses an animal magnetism that draws audiences into a twisted nightmare of mind games and horrific reveals. As he displayed masterfully in Split, McAvoy switches Paddy’s emotions and physicality at a moment’s notice, going from hysterical laughter to intense rage in a split second. It’s an intoxicating, unrelenting performance that keeps tensions up while shifting the film between humorous highs and dark depths.

As the heroine of the film, Davis’ Louise is uptight, cautious, and overprotective of their anxious daughter. However, she possesses good common sense and solid gut instincts that tell her when something’s off, like when Paddy overreacts to Ant’s lazy choreography during an uncomfortable “Cotton Eye Joe” dance scene.

Meanwhile, McNairy’s Ben is a classic cuck: An unemployed, emasculated, weak-willed husband in a passionless marriage who is constantly undermined as a father. Looking for approval, Ben makes excuses for Paddy’s unconventional parenting, lack of social norms, and aggressive outbursts because he lacks the courage to stand up to anyone, especially an alpha-male like Paddy.

At its core, Speak No Evil is a cautionary tale about the perils of politeness and pacifism. Off of their game in their personal and professional lives, the Daltons walk themselves and their young daughter into a very dangerous situation because they are unfocused, insecure, over-polite, and easy to manipulate: the perfect prey for a psychopath.

When things go south, the couple must find the courage to unite, protect, and brutally defend their marriage, daughter, and family from a clear and present evil. While a lot is revealed or implied in the film’s trailer, its biggest twists are concealed until the film’s final act, which is a palm-sweating, heart-racing, and wildly entertaining twenty minutes filled with nervous laughter, jump scares, and shocking thrills. Speak No Evil is simply an incredible trip to the movies. For a good time, see this one with a big crowd. 4/5

Rated R with a running time of 1 hour and 50 minutes, Speak No Evil opens in theaters on September 13, 2024.