Speak No Evil (2024 - US Remake)

Basq

Didn't see a thread on this.

Latest from Blumhouse is a remake of an excellent, but grim, Danish thriller/horror from a few years back.

Wouldn't normally be a fan of remakes but the good Doctor Kermode gave it a very positive review this week, plus it's got James McAvoy who rarely disappoints (and doesn't here either.. he's excellent!)

Proper nerve-jangling from start to finish with an always present sense of unease throughout.

Recommend it!

(I was going to include a trailer but it's one of those terrible all too common Hollywood trailers that give away practically the entire plot!)

Padraig Mor

Saw this yesterday. While it may be a somewhat unnecessary remake - the original is only two years old, and mostly in English anyway - frankly, they did about as good a job as could be done in making this stand on its own two feet. The main plot 'twist' is obvious earlier than the original and, yes, they bottled the ending in some ways (hardly surprising though, a Hollywood film was never going to do THAT) but, taken on its own, this is a fine thriller.

Oh and to echo Basq, avoid the trailer!

Basq

The difference being I came away from the original feeling that while I really enjoyed it, I never want to watch that again.. if you know, you know!

Whereas I'll gladly watch this again.. if just for McAvoy having fun with that performance.

Man Vs ManUre

This was pretty good. Good performances all round including the kids. McEvoy makes a great baddie. It reminded me of Strawdogs. I wanna see the original now.

santana75

Saw this at the weekend and James McAvoy is brilliant. The bloke he plays is one of those whos laughing and joking with you one minute, the next exploding into violence and for no apparent reason. The scene with him and his missus dancing to Glory will stay long in my memory. Its a brief and funny scene but there is this undercurrent of something sinister which is there throughout the whole movie. This is one of those films that I thought was very good but at the same time I wouldnt want to see again.

mrcheez

The original stuck with me (only saw it last week on Shudder in fact). And literally made me shudder a few times for days after.

This one I thought was "okaaaaay" but kinda forgettable.

Would watch the original again… this one I'd probably pass on.

Hande hoche!

Was a good watch. James McAvoy was excellent, he seems to pour himself into these roles. Mackensie Davis was also very on point. In fact the whole cast was rather suited. The kids weren't too annoying. Also liked the set up of the house, was a bit of a kip.

Haven't seen the original but will aim to in the future.

p to the e

I hadn't seen the original but I knew how it ended so I thought this would be ruined for me but it was still surprisingly entertaining. The tension is ratcheted all the way up throughout and McAvoy backs up his Hollywood supplements body with a wonderfully charismatic/deranged performance. Scoot's character annoyed the hell out of me for how pathetically useless he was but everyone is on form.

I'm still wondering

Spoiler Warning

why if the whole reason was to simply rob them then why didn't they just kill them straight away instead of the whole play acting.

Overall 7.5/10

mrcheez

I think the idea is that they take pleasure in torturing them. Sure didn't the beardy guy ask the same question in the movie?

Feline Groovy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122652337#Comment_122652337

Same annoyance with the equivalent character in the original. Good god, backbone - where are you?! In reviews, Americans particularly have a problem with the original (ironic considering the remake ). It's an interesting examination of personalities, and in the original, cultures.

p to the e

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122652809#Comment_122652809

Must have missed that bit. Well I'm satisfied.

Hande hoche!

Beardy guy something along those lines. You're like my mother's cat, playing with its food (admittedly paraphrasing).

El Duda

Speak No Evil – 8/10

I’ve not seen the Danish version, but I found this to be a very enjoyable romp that didn’t feel like it mangled the source material too much. It had a couple of weird flourishes that felt very Nordic, such as the singing scenes.

You know how everyone unanimously agreed that Josh Hartnett was the best thing about Trap? Well McAvoy does a similar thing here, but to a much higher standard. It's genuinely one of the best performances I've seen all year. Give him an Oscar you ****.

I liked how the whole thing was challenging the ‘polite Brit’ trope but escalating it to extreme levels. We really should speak our minds and be a bit more honest. It also perfectly captures my thoughts about Cornwall… it’s all a bit weird down there.

ECookie13

MacAvoy has definitely found his niche with these unhinged, intense thriller villains. Always brings in a stellar performance.

The film was very good also; great pacing and not overlong for the sake of it, and no typical tropes used that I could see. Thankfully, no cliffhanger for a possible sequel like a lot of films are doing lately.

ancapailldorcha

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122653169#Comment_122653169

Yeah. He's also collecting their personal effects as well so it's clear that he's not playing with a full deck.

It's a great romp. I don't think I can add to anything that's been said save for the fact that it's nice to see Aisling Franciosi again. It's been years since I saw The Fall so it's good to see her getting work.

I felt like it fell apart in the final 10-15 minutes, like American audiences cannot tolerate a non-happy ending. It didn't really add anything and once it began, it was clear that everyone was getting out. A real shame considering the great performances all round.

8/10 feels like a very apt score. Highly recommended.