Unhinged Thrills and Bumbling Protagonists: The Remake of "Speak No Evil" Offers a Delightfully Chaotic Ride

In a bold move, the American remake of the Danish thriller "Speak No Evil" takes the unsettling tension of the original and infuses it with a healthy dose of silliness. While the Danish version relied on the passive nature of its characters to create an unnerving atmosphere, the new adaptation, directed by James Watkins, embraces the ineptitude of its protagonists, Ben and Louise Dalton, as they find themselves reluctantly thrust into the role of action heroes. The result is a much loonier experience that still manages to deliver the chills, albeit with a more comedic twist.

Unleashing the Chaos: A Remake That Dares to Be Different

Embracing the Absurdity

The remake of "Speak No Evil" takes a bold approach by centering the narrative around the kind of unwise behavior that typically elicits exasperated reactions from audiences. However, the film's willingness to lean into the absurdity of its characters' actions is what sets it apart from the more somber Danish original. While the Danish version skewered the paralytic politeness of its main characters, the American adaptation forces the audience to identify with the Daltons, a married couple grappling with their own personal struggles.Ben, played by Scoot McNairy, feels emasculated by his recent job loss and the sext-only affair his wife, Louise (Mackenzie Davis), had with a fellow parent. Louise, on the other hand, is exhausted by Ben's constant punishment of her for this betrayal and the sacrifices she's made for their move to London. Their purgatorial plushness is a stark contrast to the vibrant and seemingly liberated Paddy (James McAvoy) and Ciara (Aisling Franciosi), the charismatic yet ominous couple who invite the Daltons to their West Country farm.

Embracing the Absurdity

As the Daltons find themselves reluctantly drawn into the increasingly sinister situation, the film's treatment of their stifled masculinity and Louise's self-congratulatory bleeding heart becomes a source of both tension and humor. The audience is forced to identify with these flawed, yet relatable characters, and the film's insistence on carving out time to understand their backstories and emotional turmoil adds a layer of depth that was absent in the Danish version.

A Delightfully Chaotic Ride

The remake's decision to tack on an action-heavy, happier ending may have undermined the unsettling effectiveness of the original, but it also transforms the film into a much loonier experience. The Daltons' bumbling attempts to save themselves become a source of both cringe and laughter, as they strive, however poorly, to protect themselves and their daughter Agnes (Alix West Lefler) from the increasingly menacing Paddy and Ciara.The casting of the film is a particular strength, with McNairy and Davis delivering perfectly exhausting performances as the unhappy, avoidant couple. McAvoy, in particular, shines as the charismatic yet unhinged Paddy, his muscular frame and toothy grin adding to the character's unsettling allure. The film's reliance on the children, however, can be a bit of a weak spot, with Agnes's shifting emotions and loyalties sometimes feeling more like plot mechanics than genuine character development.

Defanging the Original's Message

While the remake loses some of the unrelenting darkness that made the Danish version so bracing, it also avoids the borderline reactionary message about the need to overcome compliant liberalism to protect oneself and one's family. The new "Speak No Evil" acknowledges the queasy touch of the original's commentary on cultural differences and immigration, but ultimately defanges it, turning the ineffectual nature of the characters into a teased-out joke rather than a moral lesson.In the end, the American remake of "Speak No Evil" may not be as tightly wound or thematically cohesive as its Danish counterpart, but it offers a delightfully chaotic ride that revels in the bumbling attempts of its protagonists to navigate the increasingly unhinged situation they find themselves in. It's a film that embraces the absurdity of its characters' actions, delivering a unique and entertaining take on the horror-thriller genre.