Movie review: ‘Speak No Evil,’ the most stressful movie of the year
“Speak No Evil” is by far the most stressful movie experience of 2024, thanks to an already effective story, the 2022 original film, and some fantastic performances.
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Let’s address the elephant in the room: “Speak No Evil” might have had the most annoying marketing of all time. Every time I would go see a movie, whether it was “Despicable Me 4” or “Deadpool & Wolverine,” the trailer for “Speak No Evil” would play. EVERY SINGLE TIME.
Thankfully, I found I was not alone. If you go on Twitter and look up “Speak No Evil,” 90% of the tweets will probably be regarding how annoyed everyone is with seeing the trailer at this point. Despite having seen the trailer 100 times and being annoyed with it, I have to say “Speak No Evil” is easily one of the best horror film/thriller of the year.
‘Speak No Evil’ takes its time luring you in
Now, I have not seen the 2022 Danish original “Speak No Evil” film, but I understood that it was incredibly popular and there was a real reason why we Americans felt the need to turn around our own version within two years of the original’s release. After seeing the 2024 American version, I was blown away.
“Speak No Evil” takes its time luring you in, despite you already having an idea where things are going. While I knew things would go wrong, the sheer amount of stress I felt when findind out exactly what was going on is a huge testament to how well-made of a thriller this film is. Every little moment is intentional, whether it makes you laugh out loud or squirm with awkwardness, which is especially enjoyable when the film is just under 110 minutes.
There are tons of reasons why this film is awkward and stressful, but I feel it mostly has to do with the sound. “Speak No Evil” has very little external sound outside of dialogue, making you feel every second of awkward silence — and this film has a lot of that.
James McAvoy’s performance is funny, psychotic, and scary
All the performances are great. I loved Mackenzie Davis (Louise), as well as Dan Hough (Ant) and Alix West Lefler (Agnes), who play the two children. But when most people talk about “Speak No Evil,” they will likely specifically talk about the performance of James McAvoy, and rightfully so.
I’m not sure why I let myself think McAvoy wouldn’t give a great performance, but from his first appearance onscreen, he pulls you in and doesn’t let go for the duration of the film. He’s funny, psychotic, and scary, and he teeters the line between good and evil as well as I’ve ever seen. He fully committed to this role and it paid off.
‘Speak No Evil’ review score
“Speak No Evil” is without a doubt a film I will return to, as the rich performances give this film depth that makes you want to rewatch it. I had a great/stressful time with “Speak No Evil,” and despite the annoying number of times you’ve seen the trailer, I would recommend the film.
SCORE: 4/5
“Speak No Evil” is rated R and is in theaters Sept. 13! There are no post-credit scenes.
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