Speak No Evil ★★★½

Paddy (James McAvoy), a charismatic and disarmingly welcoming British man, is on vacation with his wife Ciara (Aisling Franciosi) and son Ant (Dan Hough) in Italy. It is on this trip that Paddy and Ciara first meet the Dalton’s, an American couple who recently moved to London. Louise (Mackenzie Davis) and Ben (Scoot McNairy) are trying to have a good time with their daughter Agnes (Alix West Lefler) while working to repair their broken marriage. When Paddy invites them to visit their reclusive estate in the English countryside, the Dalton’s accept, a decision they will soon come to regret. Directed by James Watkins, Speak No Evil is a remake of the Danish film of the same name directed by Christian Tafdrup. In full disclosure, I have not seen the original film. I was torn on whether or not to see it before watching the remake, opting against it in order to not allow how the story proceeds in the original to cloud how I perceive the remake.

From the moment McAvoy arrives in the film, he towers over everything else. He is remarkable. Paddy is a terrifying character, a toxic ball of testosterone and hostile masculine energy that is bursting at the seams, demanding to be let out in its full unencumbered horror. He appears normal at first, but one can see in his eyes and in the straining of his muscles that there is something he is trying to keep chained within. And, in the same breath, he is charming and funny. With the flip of a switch, he can be warm and affable. McAvoy’s great and well-rounded performance elevates the film at every turn. This is a thriller built around a series of microaggressions, relying upon McAvoy to sell each occurrence as a non-event. Louise and Ben might pick up on some oddities when they first meet Paddy and Ciara in Italy, then again in the English country. But, they are minute enough that they can be discounted as just quirks or them overanalyzing. Even as these incidents begin to pile up, it can be easy to look past everything that occurs as just misunderstandings or usual differences that arise when staying at somebody’s home, especially somebody who one has just met.

There is a moment in Speak No Evil where Louise and Ben ask why this is all happening and, in response, Paddy says, “Because you let me.” This is a film examining those who refuse to stand up for themselves, hoping to just please or pacify those around them instead of asserting any of their own preferences, feelings, or thoughts. They are merely along for the ride, stuck on auto-pilot. It could have ended very easily in Italy. The Dalton’s did not need to agree to an impromptu lunch with Paddy and Ciara. This could have ended in London. The Dalton’s did not need to accept the invitation. This could have ended in the countryside. The Dalton’s did not need to stay after they started to get weirded out. Instead, they let this situation spiral out of control until while they were slowly lured into the cross hairs, only realizing there is a weapon pointed at them far too late.

Their weak points are what Paddy preys on. Their feelings of guilt, compassion, and empathy, their desire for a friend, and their natural preference to fit in and not make waves, all help to worsen their situation. Empathy for the disabled Ant early on leads to sympathy for him and Ciara when Paddy’s mask comes off. The marital strife makes the Dalton’s an especially easy target, as well. Their battles largely center on an issue of infidelity with Louise feeling forgotten about and taken for granted, while Ben feels emasculated. The toxic energy of Paddy is a natural match for the vulnerable Ben, ensnaring him with his bravado and talk of self-actualization, turning Ben into a blind accomplice. By simply being the cool and fun guy around Ben, Paddy earns his trust. If there is a difference in opinion between Paddy and Louise, Ben backs up Paddy. When Louise first raises alarm bells, Ben backs up Paddy. It is a startling commentary on toxic masculinity, internalized misogyny, and male aggression. All Ben needs to do is back up his family with his voice and support them; instead he is too caught up with appearances and believing that this popular guy actually likes him, and unemployed and unfulfilled loner.

As the Dalton’s are led into danger, Speak No Evil becomes an edge-of-your-seat thrill ride. The film’s climax is rich in emotional tension and claustrophobic terror as this family is stuck in this home and have to find a way out. Close-ups, a mise en scène that locks them in from every angle with closed doors, tight hallways, disorienting mirrors, and a need to stay absolutely quiet make for an explosive and exciting sequence. Before it all kicks off, Watkins builds the suspense with those aforementioned microaggressions and oddities that may be discounted by the Dalton’s, but are always noted by the viewer. Some can be so beyond the pale that they even elicit nervous laughter – like a simulated sex act at dinner – with one glued to watching every little bit of tension build and build until it finally reaches its awaited and rewarding pay-off. Watkins further uses the mise en scène as a juxtaposition of the growing tension. The idyllic Italian scenery induces the Dalton’s and the viewer to relax. It is vacation, the sun is out, and the drinks are flowing. Nothing bad can happen. Their scenic and remote English country home with warm interior lighting and wood finishes feels quaint and homey. Its tight corners and boxed-in floor plan will soon add to the tension, but at first blush, it feels just right. Yet, as with many old homes, this compound, too, has plenty of secrets and hidden discomforts that add to them snapping out of this blissful vacation and into a nightmare.

Speak No Evil never rewrites familiar suspense or thriller tropes, but it executes them all very well with a top-tier performance from James McAvoy elevating it at every turn. Potent themes and commentary further add to the film’s appeal. James Watkins is right at home in adapting and directing this tense and unnerving film, slowly piecing together every little detail that hints at the danger lurking beneath this otherwise normal and quintessentially nice couple. Some of their secrets are not so shocking, but just how far Paddy and Ciara have gone and are willing to take the passive and acquiescing Dalton’s into depravity provides plenty of thrills.