The American version of Speak No Evil is better than the original. Ok, I just said that to catch the attention of the 1% of people who saw the bleak and brilliant Dutch thriller. But… is that first statement so farfetched?
The Dutch flick—released just two years ago—is one of the most unsettling and uncomfortable movies you’ll ever see. And as bleak and depressing as it is, its ability to evoke raw emotion—even if that emotion is anxiety and distress and dismay—earned it a spot on my Top 10 list of that year.
So when an American remake was announced, I grimaced. American remakes of foreign horror flicks often butcher the source material, sanitizing the subject matter and delivering an inferior experience. There is no way this remake of Speak No Evil could be any good, right?
The thing is… this new version is actually great.
It’s just not great in the same ways. It isn’t as bleak as the original; it doesn’t crawl under your skin. And as you can assume, it doesn’t end nearly the same way; the knife twisting is different. And yes, it has a different tone and purpose.
This new Speak No Evil is fun. It’s entertaining. It’s more of a crowd pleaser. It’s exciting, anxiety-inducing, and thrilling, but it isn’t the same as the original.
That’s okay. Both movies work, and for different reasons. They can coexist, and resonate in different ways.
The acting helps. James McAvoy is absolutely killer. Charming yet unhinged, he winks and twitches his way through this film, flexing his bulging muscles in all the right way. He’s a scene eater and deserves all the kudos in the world. Mackenzie Davis and Scoot McNairy are also great, playing counterpoints to his madness. Together, the entire cast is aces, with sizzling chemistry to boot.
Director James Watkins (The Woman in Black) deserves plenty of credit, too, as do Christian and Mads Tafdrup, the guys who made the original. They wrote this remake of their own film (Watkins also has a writing credit) and more than adequately adapted the material for American audiences. The movie is dripping with suspense, and the sense of dread grows as time progresses.
This new Speak No Evil is a blast of a suspense-thriller. Yes, the original may be darker and a bit deeper–and hell, it’s the original–but this new one offers a new experience. And it’s a rewarding one.
Review by Erik Samdahl unless otherwise indicated.