Blumhouse Productions’ “Speak No Evil,” a remake of the 2022 Dutch film of the same title, invites an unassuming family to a beautiful English estate full of idyllic scenery and secretly psychotic friends.
After a difficult move to London, Louise (Mackenzie Davis) and Ben Dalton (Scoot McNairy) bring their 12-year-old daughter Agnes (Alix West Lefler) to the Italian countryside for a much-needed vacation. The bright colors and coastal shots create a joyous, romantic atmosphere. A blooming friendship with a new fun couple Paddy (James McAvoy) and Ciara (Aisling Franciosi) leads to a weekend away at the couple’s country home with their son Ant (Dan Hough).
Director and writer James Watkins crafts a humorous and lighthearted friendship between the two families. Nature dominates the scenery for the movie’s first half, but the colors darken as the friendship loses its luster as images of wide open hills are replaced by rusted locks and suspicious tools.
As Paddy, McAvoy captures the audience with his exceptional acting, slowly becoming more psychotic throughout the film. Paddy’s friendly facade cracks every so often, revealing his true identity from a single look. A twitch in his face or an angry gleam in his eyes completely changes the scene’s tone.
Additionally, Hough, as Ant, acts with facial expression alone because his character is mute. Arguably one of the most talented child actors in years, Hough invokes fear and sadness as he tries to communicate the abuse he suffers to the Daltons, who believe he is just disabled. Ant captivates the audience as the focus of the film’s pivotal plot point. “Speak No Evil” references his parents removing his tongue to stop him from warning families about their pattern of kidnapping and killing.
Although labeled a psychological thriller, only the last third of the movie contains intense action and holds the single gory scene. “Speak No Evil” instead approaches internal problems in familial relationships, such as Louise and Ben having a discordant marriage due to infidelity while their daughter Agnes suffers from extreme anxiety. Though the film is family-focused, it is not family-friendly. Terror and life-threatening encounters begin healing the Daltons’ familial disputes.
While this progression is interesting, the film overlooks Paddy and Ciara’s backstory. Small comments about the death of a child, who began the killing spree and how their relationship started leave questions in the mind of the audience that could have proved engaging if answered.
In all, “Speak No Evil” carefully crafted a harmony of comedic moments in a psychological thriller. With certain moments still inviting screams from audiences saying, ‘No, don’t go in there,’ the theater will more often erupt in laughter at a heavily enjoyable film.
4 1/2 out of 5 severed tongues
