Speak No Evil: A Rousingly Entertaining Thriller, and That's Disappointing

By Thom Ernst

Rating: B+

Director James Watkins’ American remake of Speak No Evil, starring James McAvoy and Scoot McNairy, is a thrilling, fun night at the movies.

But should it be?

After the traumatizing events that unfold in the original 2022 Danish film of the same name, does the remake have any right to be so damned entertaining?

James McAvoy is a sinister dad from scene one in Speak No Evil

Look, I like fun like the next guy, but Speak No Evil (2022), directed by Christian Tafdrup and co-written by Mads Tafdrup, was such a relentlessly disturbing experience that I seriously considered backing out of doing a review. But having seen the original only made me the most logical choice to review the remake. At least this time, I would be prepared.

The story—both in the English and the Danish film—involves an typical family on vacation who meets up with a similarly typical family: Mom, Dad, and Child. Speak No Evil relies on the typical for its particular brand of thriller to work; everything must seem familiar, in place, and recognizable.

In Watkin’s version, the family is Ben Dalton (McNairy), his wife Louise (Mackenzie Davis), and their 11-year-old daughter, Agnes (Alix West Lefler). The Daltons connect with fellow vacationers, Paddy (McAvoy), his wife Ciaia (Aisling Franciosi) and their 10-year-old boy, Ant (Dan Hough). Before their vacation ends, Paddy and Ciaia invite the Daltons to their home for a weekend visit.

A few months later, the Daltons receive a formal invite by mail. After some debate, the Daltons agree to go; after all, getting out would be healthy for Agnes, who is still clingy to Mom and Dad (Agnes’ neediness is more pronounced in the original film). But almost upon arrival at their host’s secluded country home, the red flags start waving.

Paddy’s aggressive insistence for others to follow his lead feels hostile, and Ciaia’s uninvited parenting of Agnes becomes excessive. But not wishing to appear like bad guests, the Daltons go along with their hosts, even as things grow increasingly uncomfortable.

The terror in See No Evil comes from feeling trapped by the expectations of polite conventions. How Paddy and Ciaia can keep their guest prisoners without locking the door is enough to make audiences scream at the screen—and they do.  

As Paddy, McAvoy is malicious, bullish, and charming. The golden rule actors have about performing as bad guys is that the bad guys believe they are the good guys. But McAvoy knows Paddy is a terrible man, and he’s not above letting the audience know it. Even at Paddy’s most charming, the vibe is not to trust him.

The counter to McAvoy’s Paddy is McNairy’s Ben Dalton. If Speak No Evil were someone’s thesis paper, they could well explore the Jekyll and Hyde diversity between the two male leads. The film already sets itself as exploring what happens when toxic masculinity meets passive masculinity.

Before this week, I didn’t know who Scoot McNairy was, but within two days, I encountered McNairy in two significant roles both as likeable husbands: as Ben in Speak No Evil and as Amy Adam’s devoted husband in the upcoming film Nightbitch, which played the Toronto International Film Festival. McNairy has an easy charm reminiscent of a young Richard Benjamin (go ahead and click the link).

Watkins’ film remains faithful to the original until parting ways as the film approaches the climax. Here Watkins opts for thrills, and the audience buys into it with cheers and applause. And I, still pained by the original's climax, ride along with them.

But as the audience howls its approval, I wonder how the room would feel if the American version followed the same script as the Danish version. I wanted to stand up and shout, “Gang! This is lots of fun. But you guys should see the original!”

I don’t.

I leave these excellent people to their memory of the fun version of Speak No Evil and keep the trauma of the original to myself.

Speak No Evil. Drected by James Watkins. Starring James McAvoy, Scoot McNairy, Mackenzie Davis, Alix West Lefler, Aisling Franciosi and Dan Hough. In theatres September 13.