Reel Talk, Speak No Evil review: Psychological thriller keeps you at the edge of your seat

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Reel Talk, Speak No Evil review: Psychological thriller keeps you at the edge of your seat

Stars: 3 stars

Starring: James McAvoy, Mackenzie Davis, Aisling Franciosi, Alix West Lefler

Rated: MA15+

In Cinemas: Now

It’s lucky we know James McAvoy is a great actor, otherwise the ease at which he plays an unhinged A-***** in Speak No Evil would raise serious questions about what sort of person he is in real life.

McAvoy doesn’t lean into his villain era as much as he dives headlong into it, in this remake of the 2022 Danish thriller of the same name.

The original film, directed by ********** Tafdrup, is about as darkly misanthropic as cinema gets, but, at its core, what you find is a laser-sharp examination of social conventions and cultural norms.

The new version from Blumhouse Productions, helmed by Eden Lake director James Watkins, mostly follows in the footsteps of the Danish film, although Watkins, who penned the screenplay, opts to head in a very different direction for the final act.

Camera IconSpeak No Evil. Credit: Unknown/Universal Studios

Cynics will say the new film defaulted to a Hollywood ending, but the original is so grim — in a way only the Scandis know how — that it’s hard to be **** at Watkins for sparing a mainstream audience from the ********.

What he has done, however, is maintained the very different kind of ******** the original inflicts — the extreme discomfort of watching awkward social interactions.

Like the original, the new film introduces us to a not-so-happily ********* married couple, Louise (Mackenzie Davis) and Ben (Scoot McNairy), who, on a family holiday in Italy with their daughter, form an unlikely friendship with another family.

It’s unlikely because Louise and Ben are painfully polite and woke, and this other couple, Paddy (McAvoy) and Ciara (Aisling Franciosi), believe in unflinching honesty and the kind of old school values political correctness outlawed years ago.

When Louise and Ben agree to visit their new friends at their home in the *** countryside, what should be an idyllic escape goes sideways pretty quickly, with Paddy taking great pleasure in testing all manner of boundaries.

As these microaggressions add up, the film effectively explores conflict avoidance, what comes of being too polite and ******* themes, such as masculinity, healthy relationships and parenting.

And throughout the film it is not always apparent who the real villain is, until it becomes painfully obvious.

Which brings us back to the aforementioned final act.

Nowhere near as dark as the Danish original, the new version blends horror and comedy in a crowd-pleasing way, with Davis and McAvoy in particular leading the way.

This choice does consign the film to being a fairly straightforward genre piece — where the original was, well, original — but it’s a solid effort.

If nothing else, Speak No Evil is worth watching to see McAvoy singing The Bangles’ classic, Eternal Flame, in one of the most unforgettable scenes of the year.

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