When an American family is invited to spend the weekend at the idyllic country estate of a charming British family they befriended on vacation, what begins as a dream holiday soon warps into a snarled psychological nightmare. For the record, I will watch just about anything that James McAvoy stars in. Whether it’s him as Professor Charles Xavier in the X-Men films or the 23 personalities of Kevin from M Night Shyamalan’s Split/Glass, the man is an incredibly versatile actor. I have to note that this film is actually a remake of the Danish movie of the same name, however, I have not seen that one, so I’m judging this remake purely based on its own merits. This film stars James McAvoy, McKenzie Davis, Scoot McNairy, Aisling Franciosi, Dan Hough, and Alix West Lefler. I would highly suggest avoiding the trailer for this movie because it shows far too much and it’s best to go in knowing as little as possible. If you have ever met new people or have friends/family members who you don’t exactly feel comfortable around but must spend time with them so you don’t make them feel bad, this movie will definitely get under your skin, as it did mine. The set up is simple enough, as Ben Dalton (McNairy), Louise Dalton (Davis), and their daughter Agnes (Lefler) go to stay for a weekend on the countryside with Paddy (McAvoy), his wife Ciara (Franciosi), and their son Ant (Hough). What I liked about the set up is that you’re already able to sense that something is off about this family the Dalton’s are staying with just by their drastically different personalities, demeanors, and social status. Scoot McNairy and McKenzie Davis are really good as a flawed couple, both with their own issues that hurt their relationship. Although there is not a dull performance in this movie, I would say there are some questionable decisions made by Ben that will no doubt be the subject of much debate among viewers. I wouldn’t say they made him a “soyboy” exactly, but there are a few moments in which he conveniently gets saved by Louise or could’ve easily made a choice to escape from the house with his family. Nonetheless, I think that’s just the nature of this film, being one which purposefully puts the main characters in awkward situations where there’s just no favorable outcome. The movie is designed to have its audience audibly gasping out loud during moments where characters make stupid decisions or say the wrong thing. Writer/director James Watkins effectively captures that uncomfortable tension and I was on the edge of my seat waiting to see what would happen next.
It comes as no surprise that the main attraction here is James McAvoy and he delivers a deeply unsettling performance as Paddy. McAvoy brilliantly infuses this aggressive eccentricity into the character of Paddy that makes him manipulative, deceptive, and difficult for the Dalton family to get away from. Paddy has this sick sense of sarcastic humor where it’s hard to tell if he’s joking or completely serious at times and props to McAvoy for completely selling it. McAvoy and Aisling Franciosi as Ciara have terrific chemistry and I truly bought them as this weird and morally ambiguous couple. The film does something fairly interesting with Paddy’s son Ant who is unable to speak and I thought Dan Hough gave an excellent performance as the young boy just through his body language and various facial expressions. There is one point about halfway through the movie in which the Dalton’s have a clear path to escape from the house, but Agnes makes a choice which forces them to stay. This will be another controversial aspect of the movie and may take some viewers out of the experience. I personally didn’t buy it, but I was already engaged with the movie enough to look past it. The third act is so suspenseful, so heart pounding, and so thrilling that I wish the trailers didn’t include any footage from it. It becomes this extended hide and seek climax with plenty of violent moments and seemingly impossible scenarios in which the Dalton’s are trying to survive. The final third of this movie is so good that it even made for a surprisingly emotionally resonant ending where I was fully taken off guard. The cinematography and real locations are breathtaking and I can’t think of any flaws with the film on a technical level. I want to conclude this review by re-emphasizing how much you should avoid the trailers for this film. It gives away the big twist and some of the film’s most shocking scenes. Overall, while it does have a few questionable decisions made by the main characters, Speak No Evil is a lean, uncomfortably tension filled, and nail biting thriller with yet another brilliantly twisted performance from James McAvoy.
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