We’ve been told since we were little not to get into cars with strangers, to go nowhere with someone you don’t know. It’s a good rule of thumb to follow, but what if the stranger in question is James McAvoy?
“Speak No Evil” asks this very question, following a U.S. couple, Louise and Ben Dalton (Mackenzie Davis and Scoot McNairy), who befriends a British couple in Italy and decide to spend a long weekend with them in the British countryside. The Daltons are at a rough point in their marriage. Ben feels emasculated after discovering Louise was cheating on him over text, and in an effort to ease tensions, they go to Italy for a short vacation. However, while in Italy, they meet Paddy (James McAvoy) and Ciara (Aisling Franciosi), a light-hearted British couple who show the uptight Daltons how to relax and have fun. The adults try to connect the Daltons’ anxious daughter Agnes (Alix West Lefler) with Paddy and Ciara’s son Ant (Dan Hough), who can’t speak due to a genetic condition. After returning to the gloom and doom of their London home and the bleak reality of their marriage, Ben convinces Louise to accept an invitation to Paddy and Ciara’s home in the countryside for an off-the-grid weekend. Ben thinks this trip will be the cure for their marriage, yet to no one’s surprise except Ben’s, this is unfortunately not the case.
The Daltons’ weekend starts off strong with homemade cider and a cozy cottage. However, much to Ben’s chagrin, this idyllic countryside vacation slowly devolves into a nightmare as Paddy and Ciara’s odd and abusive behavior starts to creep through. McNairy does almost too good of a job playing the most inattentive husband known to man, constantly whining about feeling emasculated despite uprooting his entire family and destroying his wife’s career just to move to London for work. Ben’s insecurities become an easy target for Paddy, who represents everything Ben wishes he could be: a real man who brews his own cider, doesn’t take life too seriously and just likes to have fun with his gorgeous and loving wife. It becomes increasingly unclear whether Ben wants to become Paddy or wants to be with him.
Paddy’s rustic charm blinds Ben to countless red flags, which Louise brings up, and Ben’s utter lack of a backbone allows Louise to step into the spotlight, something that Davis does beautifully. Louise is the voice of reason and the real hero of the story. She first recognizes that something is off with Paddy and Ciara and is brave enough to pack up and leave. Louise’s dynamism comes much to the audience’s relief, as Ben’s pitiful act gets tiring pretty fast.
The climax of the movie plays out much as expected: Louise takes aggressive action against Paddy, Ciara and their henchman while trying to calm down a blubbering Ben. For a moment, it seems like Ben might actually find a shred of bravery and fight for his family, but those hopes are soon obliterated: I’ve never seen someone throw a Molotov cocktail so poorly. Out of nowhere, Ant instead steps into this role, fighting back against Paddy and Ciara.
“Speak No Evil” toes the line between thriller and horror, utilizing the on-screen tension and buildup to develop a strong feeling of terror. While the film ticks off most of the classic characteristics of a thriller — unusual behavior that devolves as the movie ticks on, third act reveals and the main characters playing into their stereotypes by stupidly going back to the house for an emotional support stuffed animal — it also adds originality, provoking the audience’s anxiety through off-screen noises and adding a twist in the character of Ant. This movie doesn’t reinvent the wheel by any means, but it brings just enough nuance and deranged James McAvoy behavior to make it an enjoyable watch.
