FILM REVIEW: Speak No Evil

Let’s Play The Family Feud!

“Really,” you think the entire movie. Many variations of it, too. It does not mean Speak No Evil is bad, but the questions dilute some interesting points trying to break the surface.

A re-telling of a 2022 Danish, this time starring James McAvoy, Mackenzie Davis and Scoot McNairy. Davis and McNairy star as Louise and Ben Dalton, along with their daughter Agnes (Alix West Lefler). The family is on a trip in Europe when they meet Paddy (McAvoy), Ciera (Aisling Franciosi) and Ant (Dan Hough). They all become fast friends and of course Paddy invites the family on a future vacation in their cottage in/near/around the woods. As the trailer suggests, all is not what it seems and the Daltons are in trouble. Classic matinee movie plot.

The film ends up focusing less on the plot and more on why the characters make the decisions they do. And they certainly make decisions. There is one plot point where the entire film quite literally does not work if the scene does not work. Luckily Mackenzie Davis is there for us to believe that the family would even consider the decision they end up making. Editor Jon Harris and Director James Watkins lead a nice job in keeping up with the tension and really keeping the audience engaged, not allowing one moment to go by where we can sit back and actually think about what is going on.

What ends up being both a strength and weakness of the film is McAvoy. Make no mistake, he is very good in the role. The interpretation of the role is what does not quite fit. He eats the scenery so much that the humor toes the line with being slapstick. When the Dalton parents end up releasing some of what is on their minds re: Their Marriage, it only barely comes across as genuine. It is almost like those behind the scenes knew what they had with his abilities and carried on a bit too far. It takes away from the authenticity of the other characters, and that is a shame. For example, there are a couple lines that McNairy delivers that end up becoming unintentionally funny in a movie ripe with good humor.

Everything culminates into a single moment where Ant smashes a cement brick over Paddy’s head, screaming. The moment feels earned and honestly relieves the audience of some really good tension throughout. This is one you will want to see with a packed, reactive audience. It is a great afternoon of entertainment, unfortunately I think it wanted a bit more than that.