When a film produced in a different country or made in a language other than English gets a decent amount of critical acclaim, it doesn’t take too long for talks of an American remake to begin. This practice has been going on for a long time, but every time a remake of an International film is released, it begs the question of why it was made in the first place. After all, most of them end up retaining the same beats and plot elements of the original film, so why bother? A lot of the reasoning likely stems from the weird stigma around films with subtitles, but at a time where more people are becoming open to media that isn’t in English, it is even more baffling why studios still remake International movies.
With Speak No Evil, a remake of the Danish film of the same name, the question of why this was even made seems even more pressing. The film was released a mere two years ago, and while it wasn’t necessarily a smash hit, it did garner some favorable reviews from American audiences. On top of that, the film is largely in English with some scenes in Danish and Dutch, so the issue of some viewers being put off by subtitles isn’t much of a concern here. I couldn’t help but think of these things while watching the remake, and I was ready to write it off as yet another movie that just copy-and-pastes the original with a few tweaks to cater to American audiences. But right around the end of the second act, the film makes a bold choice to divert from the same beats of its predecessor, and recontextualizes a lot of its social commentary in interesting ways. It does still lift heavily from the original film, down to some of its dialogue, but the changes that are made gives the film a major boost. It isn’t immune from some of the issues that befall other remakes like it, but Speak No Evil manages to stand apart just enough to not seem like a carbon copy of the Danish version, and is quite entertaining to boot.
Ben and Louise (Scoot McNairy and Mackenzie Davis, respectively) are an American couple on vacation in Italy with their daughter, Agnes (Alix West Lefler). They cross paths with a British couple, Paddy and Ciara (James McAvoy and Aisling Franciosi, respectively) and their son, Ant (Dan Hough), and both families quickly hit it off. After arriving home, Ben and Louise receive an invitation to spend a weekend at Paddy and Ciara’s farmhouse in the English countryside. They accept, but soon find themselves put off by their free-spirited ways and increasingly unorthodox behavior. As the weekend goes on, Ben and Louise discover that there is more to their hosts than meets the eye, and that they may be hiding some disturbing secrets from them.
Those who have seen the original Danish version of Speak No Evil know that it thrives off its simplicity. It clocks in at a mere 98 minutes, and is rather direct with its storytelling. It knows when to linger and when to pick up the pace, building to an unforgettably bleak finale. The American remake, on the other hand, runs around 110 minutes and is a bit different in its approach. While many of the same beats and plot points from the original are present here, it still feels a little different. For example, the Danish version allows the viewer to draw certain conclusions on their own, while the American version is much more on the nose in how it presents everything. It’s not necessarily a bad thing in the film’s context, but it does dull its impact a bit. The American remake has a campier sense of humor as well, which is a bit of a surprise given how subdued and dark it is in the Danish version. It’s these little differences that at least help the film stand out, and they work for the most part in the final product. It does get hamstrung at times by how similar it can be to the original, but when it acts more as its own thing, it ends up being rather intriguing.
The biggest changes made for the American version lie in how involved the child characters are in the film’s action, as well as the entire third act. I personally liked that this version gave the children more of a role in the story, as it adds an interesting layer to it. It raises the stakes of the entire film majorly, and makes way for some pretty good child performances from Alix West Lefler and Dan Hough. As for the third act, I won’t spoil anything here, but suffice to say that it is a radical departure from the Danish version’s ending. What I will say is that it features a rather intense sequence that takes the film from being a mostly direct remake to a reconceived look at some of the same themes found in the original. There is a particular line spoken by James McAvoy’s character that is directly pulled from the Danish version, but it takes on a slightly different meaning in the context of the scene he says it. Similarly, the final shot of the American version is a parallel to the final shot of the original, but it has a different effect due to what has just occurred on screen. It’s these changes that make the film what it is, and they make it more interesting as a result.
The film makes great use of its cast, with each of the four core actors turning in solid work. Scoot McNairy, Mackenzie Davis, and Aisling Franciosi are all quite good, but it is James McAvoy who truly stands out. I’ve been a fan of McAvoy since I first saw him as Mr. Tumnus in The Chronicles of Narnia as a child, and I’ve enjoyed seeing his career evolve over the years. This role allows him to play both charming and terrifying, as he draws you in all while slowly revealing his character’s true nature. The role also allows him to go big in certain scenes, which he both relishes and pulls off well. McAvoy is such a captivating performer, and the character of Paddy gives him something to really sink his teeth into. His performance is easily one of the best things about the film, and I’d argue that it ranks among some of the best work of his career.
Most of my issues with the film are tied to how much it borrows from the Danish version, as well as how it compares to it in general. I do love that it makes an effort to differentiate itself from the original, but it doesn’t have the same impact overall. I really like how unsparing and dark the Danish version is, and this one is a bit more hopeful by comparison. I don’t dislike how this film changes the ending by any means, but I do think the ending of the Danish version is far more effective. I think the changes made are mostly good, but the stuff that lifts from the original version note for note feels a bit stale. Beyond that, my issues are mostly nitpicks, such as one scene where the lighting is really weird and gives the impression that the actors were not in the same location when they filmed it. It’s particularly glaring given that the camera work is quite good throughout, but that one bit took me out of the film entirely. These things don’t weigh down the film too much, but they are hard to ignore nonetheless.
Speak No Evil is a pretty good remake that manages to stand apart from the original version and recontextualizes its themes in an interesting way. Those who have seen the Danish version might have a similar reaction to me, as it does feel like a step down by comparison, but is still perfectly enjoyable all things considered. If this film is your first exposure to this story, you will probably like this one more than I did, but that said, I still liked this one more than I was expecting. It is hard for me not to look at this film without comparing it to the Danish version, mainly because I really liked that version and its shocking ending. But that said, this version is still an intense and entertaining ride, and emerges as an intriguing remake that makes some bold choices in the process.
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