“Speak No Evil”: A Water-Down Hollywood Remake

James Watkins directs this remake of the 2022 Danish film, starring James McAvoy and Mackenzie Davis.

Summary

During their vacation in Italy, Americans Ben and Louise Dalton meet British Patty and Ciara. Both couples have kids that are around the same age, and they end up becoming friends during their stay.

Not long after the trip, the Daltons receive an invitation from their British friends to spend the weekend at their farm. The family is not going through a good moment, and a change of scenery seems to be just what they need, so they accept.

The weekend slowly turns into a nightmare as the hosts become more keen on making their guests as uncomfortable as possible.

Remakes: How Soon is Too Soon?

In case you don’t know, Speak No Evil is not an original story but a remake of the Danish-Dutch film Gæsterne, which was released in 2022. Hollywood’s lack of ideas has become so unsustainable that they could not afford the decorum of waiting at least a decade before producing the copy.

The new film borrows the original premise: the protagonists’ go on vacation and meet a family from a different country. They became “friends” with them, even though that family is very strange, and they accept an invitation to visit them on a secluded farm. What our protagonists’ don’t know is that those people are serial killers. A pretty solid premise.

But where the original was dark and crude, the remake takes a more lighthearted approach and makes several changes to that effect. This does not make the project bad, but it waters down everything that was originally proposed.

Before ruthlessly comparing both films, I have to give the remake some credit. James McAvoy is a wonderful villain, and while the rest of the adult cast is not bad at all, he carries most of the movie on his shoulders. The kids also do a pretty good job. The movie is entertaining enough in general. If you enjoy thrillers and have never laid eyes on the original, I dare say Speak No Evil is a good choice for you.

Taking Politeness to the Next Level

There is a single idea that defines the original film: some people would rather be uncomfortable, or even put themselves in danger, than run the risk of looking impolite or “politically incorrect”. And that message should resonate with all of us in this day and age, when we depend on appearances so much.

While the remake deals with that idea, it tries its best to soften the blow for the audience. And that softening begins with the villains. The couple played by James McAvoy and Aisling Franciosi present an awkward behavior, but they don’t look dangerous. You could think they are just weird people who get a kick out of making others uncomfortable.

In the original, the couple had a very creepy vibe from the beginning. Their behavior towards their guests is disturbing from the moment they arrive, and they respect no boundaries. They are dangerous people, and the horror comes from having to watch the protagonists excuse those actions and ignore all the signs of danger, too afraid of being rude. It’s partly thanks to those performances that the film is so uncomfortable to watch. The tension is crushing, making the atmosphere very claustrophobic and turning the movie into a horrible but memorable experience. The 2024 version is incapable of recreating that sensation.

The remake also gives too much attention to the children. In fact, they have more initiative to save themselves than the adults. In the original, both kids look younger, which makes their character traits way more believable and also puts more weight on the parents to do something.

The Original Ending

Above all, the ruthless ending is what made the original so effective. It’s so horrific that it takes a while to shake away the feeling after the credits roll, but it aligns with what the film was saying from the beginning: the characters would rather accept their terrible fate than fight. If not for their lives, at least for their daughter’s sake.

The remake did not dare do something so bold. Which is funny because a huge part of the film was copied almost frame by frame from the original. I guess a bad ending is too much for American audiences to handle. Instead, they decided to extend the running time and make the protagonists fight the bad guys and win. And it falls flat, because it’s a very undeserved win. Those parents are so stupid that the realistic thing would be for them to get killed.

Box Office Numbers

Speak No Evil has had a great box office performance during the last six weekends it has been in theaters. It has grossed over $73.000.000 worldwide against a budget of $15.000.000, according to The Numbers. The response from both critics and audiences has been favorable. And I understand why. The film in itself is not special, but it’s decent.

However, if you enjoy a good horror movie, I recommend you go watch the original.