Speak No Evil (2024)
Directed by: James Watkins
Premise: A remake of the 2022 Danish film. An American family accepts an invitation to stay with a British couple living in rural England. Upon arriving the Americans realize something is not right.
What Works: With any remake, but especially a remake of a very good film, the moviemakers must justify revisiting the material. Rehashing the same story with English-speaking actors is not enough. The filmmakers of the Speak No Evil remake have kept the basic premise and many of the key plot beats but made significant changes to the tone and to the end of the story. It’s just enough to distinguish this version and justify its existence. The two versions of Speak No Evil are comparable to the two versions of The Vanishing and just like that example the original European version is darker and more nihilistic whereas the American remake is softer and more commercial. But the remake of Speak No Evil stands on its own as an exceptional exercise in tension and suspense. The story is a slow burn but it is consistently compelling in part for the way in which the filmmakers stage the action and pace the story and because of the performances. Scoot McNairy and Mackenzie Davis play the American couple and the problems of their marriage are convincing. These two are obviously unhappy but their problems are mostly unspoken and show around the edges of their scenes together. James McAvoy and Aisling Franciosi play the British couple and they are unnerving without being overtly threatening, at least at first. McAvoy in particular gets a lot of humor which simultaneously makes this man odd while throwing off the American couple’s suspicions. Speak No Evil becomes a home invasion story in its last half hour which is tense and thrilling.
What Doesn’t: The remake of Speak No Evil is a more commercial and accessible film than its progenitor. That’s not necessarily a bad choice but the changes soften and fundamentally change the nature and meaning of the story. One of the central aspects of this story is the marriage between the American couple and the way in which they go along with the demands of their hosts. The original film implicitly suggested that socialization might have a pacifying effect that ultimately reduces our likelihood of survival. The remake goes in a different direction, playing like films such as Straw Dogs, Cape Fear, and The Hills Have Eyes. By changing the direction of the story, some aspects of the characters and the plot lack a meaningful payoff, especially the marital tensions between the American couple, and the remake ultimately removes what made 2022’s Speak No Evil so powerful.
Bottom Line: Speak No Evil is a well-made thriller. It isn’t a shocker the way the 2022 film was and for both better and worse the remake is a more accessible and commercial work. But 2024’s Speak No Evil is an exciting and entertaining movie that justifies its existence as a remake.
Episode: #1017 (October 13, 2024)