Speak No Evil
James McAvoy is our host in James Watkins’ masterful, plasma-curdling psychological thriller.
The cat got his: Dan Hough, Dan Hough and Alix West Lefler
Photo by Susie Allnutt, Image courtesy of Universal Pictures.
They say that hell is other people. In an increasingly divisive world, that is ever more the case. When an American couple based in London accept an invitation to stay with a family in Devon, the scene is set for a showdown of sorts. Paddy (James McAvoy) is the antithesis of the gentle Ben (Scoot McNairy), who meet on holiday in Italy. Now, there are two ways of looking at Paddy: as a fun-loving breath of fresh air or as the tourist from hell. He is loud, unapologetic, daring… and will not accept no for an answer. When Ben loses the job he had applied for, he and his wife Louise (Mackenzie Davis) find themselves with time on their hands and decide a break in the West Country might do them good…
When it comes to disquieting thrillers, the English director James Watkins is something of a secret weapon. His Eden Lake (2008), with a young Michael Fassbender, was deeply disturbing and frighteningly credible. His The Woman in Black (2012) was an atmospheric, genuinely scary thrill ride that became an instant classic (and spawned a disappointing sequel). The first half of Speak No Evil (adapted from the Danish Gæsterne) is just this side of bearable, and very uncomfortable. An outspoken vegetarian, Louise is forced to sample a mouthful of the fatted goose at Paddy’s farm. At lunch, Ben and Louise’s 11-year-old daughter Agnes (Alix West Lefler) is criticised by Paddy’s wife Ciara (Aisling Franciosi) for eating with her mouth open. The sheets are stained, they are expected to pick up the tab at an expensive local restaurant, and Paddy’s language and outspoken opinions begin to border on the offensive. By this stage, Speak No Evil is a thriller of unease and makes for excruciating viewing.
Initially, the details set the scene. When Louise first steps into the Devon household, she asks if she should remove her shoes. It’s a small thing, but it sounds a note of authenticity. James Watkins is a dab hand at maintaining a sense of foreboding, of tenderly tightening the screws of suspense. Of course, James McAvoy is an actor of some presence, at once engaging and dangerous, charismatic and frightening. Mackenzie Davis (Tully, Terminator: Dark Fate, Happiest Season), is a good match, four inches taller than McAvoy, but shorter on arrogance.
So awkwardly gripping is this thriller of manners, that one prays the two couples can resolve their differences before the inevitable switch to genre territory in the third act. But the title hints of darker materials, as Paddy and Ciara’s young son, Ant (Dan Hough), suffers from a congenital tongue disorder and cannot speak, and can barely write, making him incapable to explain the horrific bruises on his naked torso.
As Speak No Evil descends into genre territory, it does so with chilling finesse, drawing parallels to a controversial 1971 film that also featured an American milquetoast defending his corner in England’s West Country. And for every trope that slips through, an unexpected revelation levels the playing field (children can be resourceful, too). The battle of thespian smarts doled out by McAvoy and Davis, and a masterfully calibrated score, combine forces to create a terrifying scenario that should well linger in the memory for years to come.
P.S. Whatever you do, avoid the spoiler-ridden trailer.
JAMES CAMERON-WILSON
Cast: James McAvoy, Mackenzie Davis, Aisling Franciosi, Alix West Lefler, Dan Hough, Kris Hitchen, Scoot McNairy.
Dir James Watkins, Pro Jason Blum and Paul Ritchie, Screenplay James Watkins, from the 2022 Danish film Gæsterne, Ph Tim Maurice-Jones, Pro Des Adam David Grant, Ed Jon Harris, Music Danny Bensi and Saunder Jurriaans, Costumes Keith Madden, Sound Ben Barker, Dialect coach Neil Swain.
Blumhouse Productions-Universal Pictures.
109 mins. USA. 2024. UK and US Rel: 13 September 2024. Cert. 15.
