Being polite is a bloody nightmare in James McAvoy’s intoxicating thriller remake

in Speak no evilJames McAvoy announces a new type of evil: the insidious fear that being a little unlikely will eventually lead to screaming, painful death. He plays Paddy Phillips, an athletic, intoxicating image of modern masculinity, unafraid to take space … at least in the eyes of Ben (Scott McNairy), who happily walks his cobweb, along with his wife (Mackenzie Davis ) and young daughter after they meet and become fast friends on an idyllic Italian holiday.

Made by James Watkins, Speak no evil is a remake of the acclaimed 2022 Danish original, which earned acclaim and notoriety for one of the most uncomfortable endings in modern horror. It’s a simmering stew of weighty messaging about masculinity and parenting dynamics, buoyed by powerful performances and flashes of inconceivable monstrosity. And despite the trailers pretty blatantly laying the three, awareness does not really dull its impact.

Defying the cynical accusations that its existence was never necessary, Speak no evil is a measure, worth claiming to be one of the best horror movies in 2024. And it manages that without replacing the original, which now becomes more of an urgent companion piece for fans of this version. That dual commitment to respecting and refreshing the source material is something to be admired.

Is talking evil scary?

Pulse rates will sneak up when the alarm of the movie closes in

Despite the Blumhouse title screen and the expectation that Speak no evil is a horror This is not one for fans of cheap jump scare tactics or lashings of Gore. Both occur, but they are short punctuations, rather than defining characteristics. The movie, instead, is an intense psychological thriller that playfully pulls on genre threads: it’s painfully tense, disarmingly funny in flashes (you’ll never hear the Bangles’ ‘Eternal Flame’ quite the same), and masterfully cringe-inducing.

The real “horror” comes from the situation and how easily the propaganda of Paddy and Ciara spin is believed. Ben’s withered self-confidence is the exact environment Paddy’s impressive macho energy needs to flourish. And Ben and Louise’s relationship issues give them enough of a blind spot to become intoxicated by the Phillips family’s seemingly effortless ideal life.

Speak no evil It takes some time to get going, but the slow burn build is necessary For Paddy and Ciara’s spell to really work. By the 70-minute mark, the suspense had built so much that it wasn’t entirely clear when it stopped, even as you were encouraged to roll your eyes at Ben and Louise’s reluctance to come to their senses and run very fast in the other direction. .

The cast is excellent, but James McAvoy shines the brightest

If there was any justice, he would be up for an Oscar

All of Speak no evilThe cast are exceptionally well-chosen: Mackenzie Davis Louise is more reluctant than her husband, and suitably frantic when things turn; Scott McNairy is once again on excellent form as a scrawny, eager Ben; And Aisling Franciosi is impressive even with the least material to work with the central four. The kids too – played by Alix West Lefler and the mostly quiet Dan Howe – defy all the usual cynicism about working with children.

But the star of the show is, according to James McAvoy as Patrick “Paddy” Phillips, An interesting blend of Tom Cruise Magnolia Guru and Tom Hardy’s simmering physicality. He is over-familiar in his touch, disarming in his intelligence, and eventually owes a lot to Robert De Niro’s memorable turn as Max Cady in Scorsese. Cape Fear. In 1991, the role earned De Niro an Oscar nomination, and I would happily go early on an enthusiastic campaign for McAvoy to receive the same kind of recognition.

Somehow, he also seems to gain about 50 pounds of muscle from the beginning of the movie to its end, thanks to the subtle subterfuge of McAvoy’s performance. The only downside is his accent wanders across England and Scotland indiscriminately at times. But perhaps this is in the service of convincing us all that he is never quite what he thinks?

The Scottish actor says he’s channeling Andrew Tate for his performance, but it’s in a more subtle way than the headline-generating quote might suggest. Be Toxicity manifests as overbearing, subtly violent fatherhood, and barely repressed sexual animalism, but crucially, he remains charismatic. Enough to make the dad comparison stumble. For Ben, however, the parallel is more robust; He sees Paddy as his ideal opposite, and the key to unlocking his emasculation, and both McAvoy and McNairy pull this dynamic off masterfully.

Talk no evil wrestles with realism at times

There is a lot of perverse pleasure in putting yourself in the same situation

Horror movies often have to rely on the stupidity of their characters for the story to work: victims in waiting or make terrible decisions in high-pressure situations or simply lack any survival instincts until the bodies start to rise. Speak no evil Play with the audience by underestimating expectations very precisely, asking the question of when exactly you would have walked away from all the red flags. At times, realism is stretched a little thin when Paddy becomes too insufferable, but the movie offers some explanation.

Ben and Louise deal with their own problems, which emphasize the former’s emasculation and make his instant infatuation with Ben believable. This works as an excuse for their broken internal alarm systems, but it could have gone further to better balance it. Some uncomfortable questions are navigated but well: the Wi-Fi, Ant’s inability to write down his warning, and the urgent urge everyone in this situation would have to tire gossip about Paddy and Ciara.

But then, realistic behavior is the whole point of Speak no evilHence the title: This is all a matter of ignorance. Ben and Louise are the proverbial boiled frogs, unaware of their dangerous condition until it is too late. They just happen to also have a thermometer that they choose to ignore because of misplaced social etiquette and decorum. Their conflict disgust is understandable to a point, but the fun of the thing is trying to figure out where the point should have been.

Do we really have to compare speak no evil to the original?

How James Watkins’ remake navigates the spectrum of the excellent original

The elephant in the room for Speak no evil is the original Danish version that was published only two years ago. There is probably not a single fan of the original who did not roll his eyes in Hollywood once more cashing in an excellent foreign movie with an English redo. And comparison is usually damning in such cases. But Speak no evil Thanks to the decision to completely change the ending.

It is impossible not to compare the version of Watkins to the original, but to do so runs the risk of assessment Speak no evil For what it is not, rather than what it is. That said, it’s fair to look at the ending on its own merits and the context of Watkins’ work. The director’s take on The woman in black Changed the ending of the book, and although it was still bleak, it lost a bit of the original’s dark magic. Many comparisons between the two versions of Speak no evil Have inevitably centered on the same thing happening again.

Go back next to Eden Lake is arguably more telling: that underrated horror gem ends on a note so grim it sucks the air out of you. For a long time, it feels like Speak no evil is headed to a similar conclusion, as a punishment for Ben and Louise’s naivety, and the choice to go with something new feels a little unfortunate. This is all entertaining enough to balance this though, and will satisfy most of the viewers (especially those who do not obsess about the sanctity of the original).