Speak No Evil Review
Speak No Evil (2024) Film Review, a movie directed by James Watkins, written by Christian Tafdrup, Mads Tafdrup and James Watkins and starring James McAvoy, Mackenzie Davis, Scoot McNairy, Aisling Franciosi, Alix West Lefler, Dan Hough, Kris Hitchen and Motaz Malhees.
Psychological thrillers don’t get any more frightening, tense and nerve-wracking than director James Watkins’ terrifying new horror film, Speak No Evil. James McAvoy will scare the hell out of viewers and then some as an impulsive crazy man named Paddy who is apparently a doctor married to a seemingly younger woman named Ciara (the always reliable Aisling Franciosi). When this unusual pair meets a family while vacationing, all seems tranquil and pleasant but Paddy has other ideas in mind than simply making friends when he invites the family to his home which is conveniently located in the middle of nowhere. Watkins masterfully builds suspense as the plot unravels one step at a time until all hell breaks loose in the tradition of films that focus on the “fill in the blank” from hell.
The family that Paddy and Ciara invite to their house is a bit naive when they show up for a few nights. There’s husband, Ben Dalton (a perfectly cast Scoot McNairy), his wife, Louise (Mackenzie Davis) and their young daughter, Agnes (Alix West Lefler). Paddy and Ciara seem to have a son of their own, Ant (Dan Hough) but the boy doesn’t speak much. Perhaps, something was done to his tongue by his oddball “parents.” While the trailer hints at some of this film’s secrets and scary plot developments, it surprisingly doesn’t ruin the suspense factor of Watkins’ intense thrill ride.
A lot happens in the movie. Agnes clings on to a stuffed animal she keeps close to her. She’s close to the age of a teenager but she has her desire to have this doll around. This film uses this plot thread as an excuse for Ben and Louise to drive back to Paddy’s house even after they’ve caught on that Paddy isn’t exactly playing with a full deck. Ben and Louise could have escaped Paddy’s wrath but they love their daughter and want to give her what she wants by getting the stuffed animal that she accidentally leaves at Paddy’s house.
How do we know Paddy is strange? For one, he invites the family headed by Ben to dinner and then, out of left field, reveals that he’s called a babysitter (Motaz Malhees) to watch Agnes and Ant so Paddy and Ciara can go out alone with Ben and Louise. At dinner, Ciara pretends to perform oral sex on Paddy from under the dinner table and, then, Paddy makes Ben pay the bill for their meal.
When Paddy first comes on to the scene, he grabs a chair beside Ben very aggressively which hints at Paddy’s anger which he unleashes at given intervals. McAvoy is astonishing in this role, creating one of the creepiest psychopaths in recent years. It’s hard to know what to make out of Franciosi’s Ciara. Why is she loyal to the nasty and belittling Paddy? There are twists here that the movie reveals which I can certainly not tell you about in this review.
The kids in the film are also well-developed as characters. Lefler and Hough often help create sympathy for their characters through sensitive and delicate supporting roles. Kris Hitchen, as Mike, who is working with Paddy towards something surprising, also delivers a brief but terrifying performance.
The acting in this movie is solid all around. McAvoy knows how to play a killer and under Watkins’ accomplished direction, Paddy is completely unpredictable. When new friends Agnes and Ant try to put on a dance for their “parents,” Paddy screams out like a madman which Louise quickly catches on to as she urges her husband to get them the hell out of Dodge. This prompts Louise to try to analyze her whole relationship with Ben. Both Mackenzie Davis and Scoot McNairy hit the ball out of the park with relatable and intriguing performances that make their characters the type of people the audience will want to root for despite their flaws.
There aren’t many flaws to “speak” of in Speak No Evil. This is the type of movie you just go see in theaters on a Friday or Saturday night because seeing it with a crowd could intensify some of the horrific elements found within the film. The movie builds suspense like a roller coaster ride and Mackenzie Davis makes the perfect match for the deranged antics of McAvoy’s twisted character, Paddy, who seems like he just wants to make friends and meet people until Ant takes Agnes downstairs to let her in on what, exactly, is really going on.
The young Dan Hough’s character holds the key to unraveling the plot and the movie’s big reveal is pretty wild. Nothing is as it seems and we never really know for certain why Paddy is the maniac that he is. We just know he’s a lunatic and that’s scary enough to keep the momentum of the film pumping for its nearly two hours-long running time.
While the acting by all the principals in Speak No Evil is fantastic, the movie would be a lot less scary if McAvoy didn’t take this performance by the horns and tinker it up a bit which all leads to the scary resolutions in the film’s story line. James Watkins has crafted a suspense-filled horror picture that will keep viewers on the edge of their seats wondering which way the frightening plot will turn next. This movie is also edited well so that the picture doesn’t ever feel like it’s outstaying its welcome. McAvoy commands the film with his solid work but Speak No Evil works best, overall, as a cautionary crowd-pleaser for viewers who can handle its intensity.
Rating: 8/10
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