Speak No Evil Review

One thing you should know about my film taste, is I love a Blumhouse horror film - the production company that is run by horror mogul Jason Blum. No matter what the plot is, as soon as I see that they are attached, I am all in! Recently they showed the diverse range of films and TV that is offered at this company from the limited series 'Worst Ex Ever' to the AI-threatning horror 'Afraid' which didn't get much love at the box office. However, they are back with vengeance with the thriller 'Speak No Evil' which has been talked about for a while with the trailer being shown at the cinema for months now - it is finally here and it is worth the wait. 

The film caused a lot of discussion as it is the remake of a 2022 Dutch film of the same name, and sparked a conversation about remaking foreign language films. However, the previous version was not well known in the film community and has only resurfaced, due to the remake coming out. 

The plot centres on a couple on holiday with their daughter in Italy, when they meet James McAvoy's character Paddy and his family and soon create a fast friendship, with Paddy inviting the family to the west country to spend a weekend on their farm. The wife Louise played by Mackenzie Davis is sceptical but as many horror films do they put themselves in a situation where tension and unfamiliarity ensue. When they get to the farm, everything is not what it seems from Paddy's mute son who is trying to tell Louise's daughter what is really happening to Paddy and his wife's relationship being shrouded in secrecy of how they got together - and so mystery follows and here with have an edge of your seat thriller. 

When I came out of the cinema, I was speechless by this film - I knew I would like it but didn't realise the hold it would have on me. It was one of the best thrillers I have seen in a long time and is immediately in my top five of the year. The main reason is James McAvoy, who is insane in this film. I have been a fan of his work ever since The Chronicles of Narnia, and that love has grown with films such as Atonement and Split but Speak No Evil is his best work to date and definitely his most unhinged performance. There were times in this film when I was so tense I gave myself a headache and it is the definition of edge-of-your-seat action - particularly the last act which left me with my hands sweating, my pulse racing and my jaw on the floor to the last shot of the film. 

Film's like this make me live for the cinema experience, I sat on my own near the front of the room nobody blocking my view and I was in that film and felt like I was there with the characters every step of the way lauding them for their bad decisions - again this is a horror film but also wanting to them to get out and escape the clutches of Paddy (don't worry no spoilers in this review). 

Overall, this is a must-see thriller not only for McAvoy's performance but for the twists and turns in the plot that you really don't see coming which is rare for a film nowadays as you can often see where the film is going within the first fifteen minutes but not this one. As I said, it has automatically made its way into my top five of the year so far and knowing what is coming out the rest of the year it will be a testament to this film to see if it holds up against my most anticipated films of the year being Wicked and Joker Foile A Deux but given my reaction to it - It will still remain as one of the best thrillers I have seen in a long time, it is a must see!