Speak No Evil (2024) ★★★★

Released: 12 September 2024

Director: James Watkins

Starring: James McAvoy, Mackenzie Davis, Scoot McNairy, Aisling Franciosi

Review By: Kat Hughes

In 2022 Christian Tafdrup’s foreign language film, Speak No Evil, had everyone talking.

The Danish chiller saw a family go to stay with another that they met on their summer vacation. However, once in the home of their ‘friends’, they quickly realised that they were behaving very differently to the people that they had met on holiday. As their weekend visit progressed, events took a very dark turn, its ending being the bleakest and most upsetting since Frank Darabont’s The Mist. Then, soon after release, an English language adaptation was announced. The news was met with surprise and vitriol as many believed it was too soon and unnecessary given the amount of English spoken in the original. However, if there is one person capable of adapting the bleak source material, it is Eden Lake’s James Watkins. 

Whilst the trailer for Speak No Evil might have driven regular cinema-goers insane due to it playing in almost every trailer reel in recent months, the film itself looks set to turn the tide on the hate it has been receiving. Remakes of foreign source material are usually looked down upon, but sometimes they work, and James Watkins’ Speak No Evil is certainly one of those examples. The core story remains the same; this time following American family, Ben (Scoot McNairy), Louise (Mackenzie Davis) and their daughter Agnes (Alix West Lefler), as they visit the West Country to reconnect with holiday besties, Paddy (James McAvoy), Ciara (Aisling Franciosi) and their mute son, Ant (Dan Hough). Watkins is careful to include most of the story beats that made the original so uncomfortable, but does distort their angle slightly. 

Whereas in Tafdrup’s source the focus was almost exclusively on the parents, Watkins’ film spends far more time with the children. In doing so they give both Ant and Agnes more agency. Rather than being mere pawns in the game, they are active participants. Aging up both characters ever so slightly helps facilitate this. The presentation of several of these scenes through the eyes of the children makes what was an already distressing story far worse. Two sequences in particular involving the youngsters cause an unhealthy amount of nervous adrenaline to flood your system. Both young stars give great performances, with Hough especially good as the silent child desperate for help. 

The quartet of McAvoy, Davis, McNairy, and Franciosi are dynamite on screen together. Were this version of Speak No Evil to have a different cast, the result might not be the same. The performances of each of these actors really helps sell both the story, and the remake’s existence. McNairy is especially great as Ben. His shy and timid beta male performance compliments McAvoy’s brash and confident alpha beautifully. As their time together begins, it is fascinating watching Ben try to imitate the stronger personality, initially becoming his sidekick, and copying Paddy in an attempt to fit in. Through Ben, Watkins’ makes some clever commentary on the loneliness of adulthood for some men. Ben has never found his tribe and he’s clearly desperate for Paddy’s approval. 

Contrary to Ben’s constant desire to please people, is his wife, Louise. She is a far harder character, and whilst she too goes along with the trip, she is suspicious of their hosts from the outset. This character in the original film was a tad too hysterical to fully connect with, but here, Davis makes her a well-rounded woman who is simply looking out for her child. Her retorts to her hosts are combative, but there is a veil of politeness keeping Paddy and Ciara on edge. 

McAvoy is on point again, thankfully restraining his performance from his heightened turn in both Split and Glass. There is a persistent menace to Paddy, and even when there’s a smile on his face, it never reaches his eyes. His partnership with Franciosi is devilishly fun, the pair excelling at taunting and teasing Ben and Louise without ever doing anything overtly aggressive. This is another change up to the original, which saw the couples split apart during their evening out at the pub. Here, Paddy and Ciara are provocative, but not rude or garish, and so it makes sense why Ben and Lousie continue to stay. 

Where Watkin’s adaptation of Speak No Evil differs most from the source, is in its final act. Everything is changed, and although not as vicious as Tafdrup’s film, still has plenty of merit. Watkins clearly still feels some semblance of guilt for the trauma he caused with the ending of his Eden Lake and seeks to rectify that here. In doing so the finale doesn’t have the same sting as the original, but that only works in Speak No Evil’s favour. To follow the same pattern would make this film a pale imitation. In striking out into new territory, it keeps all viewers, even those that have watched the foreign language version, on edge. 

With Speak No Evil, James Watkins has justified the remake’s existence beautifully. Whilst the biggest haters will still pick faults, the overwhelming response is likely to be that of surprise. Few English language remakes are worthwhile, but Speak No Evil shirks that problem. Watkins’ version is equally as intense as Tafdrup’s, features some stunning performances by the cast, and does just enough things differently to prevent Déjà vu from setting in.