Speak No Evil (Mini-Review)

Speak No Evil is a remake of the 2022 Danish film of the same name. Louise and Ben Dalton with their daughter Agnes, meet the easy going couple Paddy and Ciara who have a young son of their own. Paddy and Ciara quickly invite Louise and Ben to their home. But once Louise, Ben, and Agnes arrive at the couple's house things grow uncomfortable. Speak No Evil was released in 2024. It was directed by James Watkins. It stars James McAvoy, Mackenzie Davis, and Aisling Franciosi.

There are no mid or post credits scenes.

In preparation for this remake, I finally got around to watching the original movie. I had seen spoiler filled videos about the original but watching something for yourself is very different. I really enjoyed the original and its slow building of tension. Its basic premise was tearing down the idea that politeness is something that protects you. As by the end politeness is what dooms the family.

There were things in the original that were changed for the better. In the original the family is about to escape when their daughter throws a fit about losing her rabbit plushie. They then return to the couple's house to search for the rabbit. But the moment the father leaves the car, the daughter is able to find the rabbit in less than a blink of an eye. In the remake the same basic scene plays out but it takes a little more time to find the rabbit. Though how often the rabbit in the remake is lost...is annoying.

In the original some of the soundtrack was too intense and seemed to be a crutch used to artificially build tension instead of letting it build naturally. There are no such moments in the remake.

The final problem with the original is that near the very end of the movie the wife trusts the couple when that doesn't make sense. Though the reason the remake changed that moment is due to the third act being completely removed from the original movie. It changes a tense thriller into an action movie which doesn't fit the tone at all. The movie is supposed to be about how being too polite isn't inherently safe. So removing that framework makes the movie end on a low note. The director of this movie also directed Eden Lake (2008) and so having a bleaker ending could have been doable.

I would recommend Speak No Evil to those who haven't seen the original. I would also recommend Speak No Evil to those looking for a horror movie.