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<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\u201cSpeak No Evil\u201d is a remake of a 2022 Danish movie with a famously vile twist. I went into this film expecting it to have the same twist. That\u2019s not to say that I expected it to have the same \u201cending,\u201d exactly, as I knew the film might deviate from the source material once it reached a certain point. But there could be no question that it was indeed winding its way to that point. It was no surprise that what came after that point was horror movie shlock, but I was surprised by how captivated I was by what led up to that point.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The film finds protagonist couple Ben and Louise Dalton (Scoot McNairy and Mackenzie Davis, respectively) on vacation with their daughter Agnes (Alix West) in Italy. They\u2019re about as unhappy there as they are at home in London, which is to say pretty unhappy, with Ben falling short as a provider and Louise possibly dabbling in infidelity. But things pick up when they meet fun couple Paddy (James McAvoy) and Ciara (Aisling Franciosi) and their mute son Ant (Dan Hough). The kids become fast friends, the families have a great time together, and Paddy and Ciara invite the Daltons to their house in the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The thing is that when everybody met, they were all on vacation, so the playing field was level in terms of accommodations and shared mood. The dynamic shifts a little when the Daltons are guests in Paddy and Ciara\u2019s home. At first it\u2019s just little inconveniences like the guest room sheets having stains and there not being a proper bed for Agnes. But as the days go by, the Daltons find that they like their hosts less and less. Paddy and Ciara don\u2019t treat an immigrant neighbor very well, they\u2019re too open about their sex lives, and they have some differing views on parenting that they\u2019re increasingly unafraid to impose. Also, Ant keeps urgently trying to tell them something, which is frustrating because a condition with his tongue makes it impossible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The film is at its best in this portion. Everyone has acquaintances whose sense of boundaries don\u2019t quite mesh with their own, and the film milks that universal anxiety for all it\u2019s worth. It might not be \u201chorror\u201d in the traditional sense, but I\u2019d sure be scared to be in some of these situations where I might come off as a bad friend or ignorant or \u201cin the wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Of course, this movie isn\u2019t being sold on exploiting the audience\u2019s fear of social faux pas, eventually the other shoe has to drop and proper horror elements have to present themselves. And from that point forward, this movie becomes just another exercise in flat tires, cut phone lines, and characters running up the stairs when they should be bolting out the door. Oh, and a villain or villains that have been meticulous for years suddenly getting so sloppy that you\u2019ll wonder how they ever had any success in the first place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSpeak No Evil\u201d was doing so well for so long. The astute technical team recreates certain shots perfectly from the original movie and the gradual dissolution of politeness and respect is paced beautifully. Part of me was hoping that the Daltons could get away from Paddy and Ciara just so their battle of passive-aggressiveness could be picked back up at another time. But no, this just has to be a movie with a body count, and the chances for a sequel are as bleak as the original\u2019s ending. I do give a recommendation to \u201cSpeak No Evil,\u201d but it would be evil of me to say that you should expect a truly excellent movie.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Grade: B-<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSpeak No Evil\u201d is rated R for some strong violence, language, some sexual content and brief drug use. Its running time is 110 minutes.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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