A family vacation turns into a nightmare in this smart remake.
I watched the original Danish film “Speak No Evil” on YouTube before I saw the new American remake. It told the story of a Danish family who comes across a Dutch family on a vacation in Tuscany. They invite them to their home in the countryside, but they turn out to be bad news. They constantly forget that one of their guests is a vegetarian, they immediately let them pay for an expensive meal when they offer to pay, they’re aggressive with their sex and driving, and they’re abusive towards their shy son. Their excuse for his muteness is that he was born with a small tongue, but we know they cut it out. And the movie didn’t end well for these horrified guests.
In the American remake, we meet an American family who meet another family on vacation in the same place where they have the same problems, but their solutions are catered to American movie-goers. But that doesn’t mean this “Speak No Evil” is a crappy movie, because it actually knows the targets and decides to give the new horrified guests more common sense than two years ago. And I liked both versions.
The American family of this “Speak No Evil” moved to London for work. They consist of the skittish father Ben (Scoot McNairy), the vegetarian mother Louise (Mackenzie Davis), and their autistic daughter Agnes (Alix West Lefler). At least I think she’s autistic because of the way her mom says “Indoor voices” even outside, or how they often tell her she’s almost 12 and she still clings on to her stuffed bunny. Just as they’re settling in, they get invited by their new friends to their farm in the countryside. Those people consist of Paddy (James McAvoy), his wife Ciara (Aisling Franciosi), and their shy son Ant (Dan Hough).
You know as well as I do that he actually isn’t shy; he’s missing a tongue. And he even tries to warn Agnes about his family’s dirty deeds, although he writes in a different language since he can’t speak anymore.
And their new “friends” must be followers of the evil Dutch family if they torment Louise based on her health choice, nearly drown Ant, and act so aggressive at almost every activity they engage themselves in.
My dislikes for this new version only come when Agnes has to act like a brat in one car scene and some of the cliches the story has to be engaged. But my likes for this new version regard Agnes revealing herself to be smarter than a lot of movie kids who try to warn their parents of the danger. Thanks to her common sense, she doesn’t have to be told “You’re just seeing things” or “I don’t want to hear another word out of it.” And that’s when the film becomes an escape thriller, that engages the audience with some laughs and shocks.
McAvoy has scored great horror success in the last decade with “Split,” and he continues his charisma and strength in “Speak No Evil.” Davis expresses the right dispositions and emotions with balance, and knows the stakes. And the kid actors are smarter here than most parents would judge their kids in certain movie circumstances. I already explained to you why in the past paragraph.
Last month, Universal Pictures released John Woo’s “The Killer” on Peacock. And this month, they released “Speak No Evil.” Both these movies are remakes of international movies with unhappy endings, and yet, we still enjoy them for honoring their predecessors and altering things. I don’t want readers judging me for liking this movie because I’m an American. I acknowledge that not every movie has a happy ending. But I do admire movies with common sense. This film uses it at the right moment.