REVIEW - Speak No Evil (2024)

[00:00:29] What's going on everybody and welcome to Wilhelm, I am your host, Ben Beck and I'm bringing

[00:00:35] you a short little episode this time around because I had the opportunity last night to

[00:00:40] see Speak No Evil, the 2024 US remake of the Danish film from 2022 from a couple years

[00:00:47] ago.

[00:00:48] This one directed by James Watkins and starring James McAvoy.

[00:00:51] I had the opportunity to see an advanced screening of it last night and while a review has been

[00:00:57] posted to the website, for those of you that may not necessarily go to the website and listen

[00:01:01] exclusively just to the podcast, I wanted to give you guys this review.

[00:01:05] So that's what I'm doing.

[00:01:07] So this is going to be a very long episode.

[00:01:10] This is simply going to be just an opportunity for me to share my review of the movie with

[00:01:15] you, my loyal listeners.

[00:01:17] Thank you for that by the way.

[00:01:20] But to dive right into it, as I mentioned last night, I had the opportunity to see an

[00:01:24] advanced screening of Speak No Evil directed by James Watkins and produced by Blumhouse

[00:01:30] Pictures.

[00:01:31] And let me tell you this movie, if you have anxiety, it's going to raise the anxiety

[00:01:36] level.

[00:01:37] So if you don't have anxiety, it's going to give you anxiety because it's that

[00:01:41] good of a thriller type movie.

[00:01:44] So as I mentioned, directed by James Watkins produced by Blumhouse Pictures, Speak

[00:01:48] No Evil is absolutely a relentless psychological thriller that really masterfully escalates

[00:01:54] tension to a heart pounding climax by the end of the movie.

[00:01:58] You know, even as a newcomer to the Speak No Evil story, I mentioned the earlier original

[00:02:04] Danish film from 2022.

[00:02:05] I've never seen it.

[00:02:07] But even having never seen it, I found myself completely engrossed by the atmosphere and

[00:02:13] this really deeply unsettling tale that's being told.

[00:02:17] Fans of, you know, Blumhouse's signature style like myself, you know, will recognize a lot

[00:02:22] of elements that echo Blumhouse's previous successes, you know, movies like Get Out

[00:02:27] or The Invisible Man or The Purge, you know, because it and Watkins, his he brings

[00:02:33] his unique ability to blend social commentary and horror making the film just absolutely

[00:02:39] really stand out.

[00:02:40] I mentioned, you know, James McAvoy, who is arguably the star of this movie and man,

[00:02:47] he just delivers a mesmerizing and chilling performance as Patty, the seemingly charming

[00:02:54] yet increasingly menacing host whose facade and facade of unrestrained hospitality masks

[00:03:01] a much darker reality that's being set.

[00:03:05] His portrayal in this his portrayal is this film's backbone absolutely is.

[00:03:11] And he crafts Patty with a captivating intensity that just pulls the viewer

[00:03:16] into a psychological game of cat and mouse.

[00:03:19] His portrayal makes the audience question every interaction as social

[00:03:23] pleasantries twist into just an absolute nightmare scenario where survival instincts

[00:03:29] begin to override civility.

[00:03:31] The audience, you know, I mentioned being drawn in the audience during this movie

[00:03:35] was so engrossed.

[00:03:37] I I.

[00:03:39] This is the first time I've ever seen kind of an audience get into a horror

[00:03:43] movie as much as I did this one.

[00:03:46] You know, but I mentioned director James Watkins, you know, who's known

[00:03:49] for his work on other projects like Eden Lake.

[00:03:52] He continues to explore, especially in this film, how societal norms

[00:03:57] and politeness just can be weaponized.

[00:04:00] Trapping characters in a terrifyingly real and dangerous situation.

[00:04:06] In addition to to McAvoy, the cast just absolutely shines

[00:04:11] with the character Louise played by Georgina Campbell and the character

[00:04:14] Ben played by Scoot McNary, providing just an emotional anchor to the story.

[00:04:20] Their relationship strained by past wounds faces new horrors

[00:04:24] as they navigate the increasingly bizarre and threatened behavior of their hosts.

[00:04:29] Campbell's portrayal of Louise's mounting fear and determination is both subtle,

[00:04:35] yet gripping at the same time while McNary's portrayal of Ben

[00:04:40] just wrestles with the impossible task of shielding his family

[00:04:43] from escalating dangers despite his own unraveling conscience.

[00:04:48] Visually, the film is just stunning.

[00:04:52] Tim Morrise Jones, who did the cinematography for the film

[00:04:55] just transforms the serene British countryside

[00:04:58] into an idyllic yet suffocating prison,

[00:05:02] reflecting the character's psychological turmoil.

[00:05:05] The collaboration between Watkins and the whole production team

[00:05:08] just intensifies the movie's pervasive sense of dread,

[00:05:12] enveloping the audience in a haunting atmosphere that just refuses to let go.

[00:05:17] Overall, this movie, Speak No Evil is just a prime example

[00:05:23] of Blumhouse Productions' ability to elevate horror beyond jump scares,

[00:05:28] crafting sophisticated and deeply disturbing experiences

[00:05:32] that linger long after the credits are done rolling.

[00:05:36] Watkins and McEvoy together have just created a film

[00:05:40] that isn't just about surviving terror.

[00:05:42] It's about confronting the darkness that can lurk behind

[00:05:49] even the most polite smiles.

[00:05:51] It's it's a well done film.

[00:05:53] Overall, four out of five stars.

[00:05:56] If you are a fan of thrillers, if you are a fan of Blumhouse movies

[00:05:59] like I am and I got to say it, if you are a fan of James McEvoy,

[00:06:03] he absolutely kills it in this role.

[00:06:06] If you're a fan of any of the things I just mentioned, this is a must see.

[00:06:10] Again, four out of five stars for Speak No Evil

[00:06:13] coming nationwide to theaters this Friday, September 13th.

[00:06:17] Friday the 13th, that's appropriate.

[00:06:20] Again, nationwide, September 13th,

[00:06:23] 2024 this coming Friday.

[00:06:25] Or if you're listening to this late, it's already out.

[00:06:28] Make sure you go see it.

[00:06:30] If you don't absolutely catch it on streaming, but support the theater.

[00:06:36] Support movies in theaters.

[00:06:38] I always say this, go and see movies for yourself in theaters.

[00:06:42] And again, this is just my opinion of the film.

[00:06:45] This is not to say this is how you should feel about the film.

[00:06:48] I am objectively very easy to please.

[00:06:51] You may not like this film, but as I say, every time I leave a review,

[00:06:54] whether it's on the website or I do it in a podcast form,

[00:06:58] go and see the movie for yourself and form your own opinion.

[00:07:01] That's the easiest way to do it.

[00:07:03] Don't go by just what critics like me say.

[00:07:07] That said, I just want to do a quick reminder as well

[00:07:10] that the new season of Wilhelm launches next week, Monday the 16th.

[00:07:16] New seasons of Wilhelm and the Revisited podcast, both returning with new seasons.

[00:07:22] Wilhelm I've got a lot of great new interviews set up with celebrities.

[00:07:26] I've got more Top Five coming.

[00:07:28] I've got more movie reviews coming.

[00:07:30] I'm going to be reviewing Transformers One at the end of this week as well.

[00:07:34] So there'll be a review coming for that.

[00:07:36] I've got reviews of Megalopolis coming, which is the new Francis Ford Coppola.

[00:07:40] I'm going to get to see that in a couple of weeks as well.

[00:07:42] Hopefully other movies like Joker and

[00:07:46] all these other movies that are coming out this year, I'm going to be able to do.

[00:07:49] I've got product reviews coming soon.

[00:07:51] I've just received the full Blu-ray set of Succession, the complete series.

[00:07:56] I'm going to be reviewing that as well as some other stuff

[00:07:58] that I've been pleased to get sent.

[00:08:01] And the Patreon is finally going to be launching before the end of September.

[00:08:05] So a lot of these things that I get to review,

[00:08:07] I'm going to be giving them away to people who support the Patreon

[00:08:10] and the Patreon is not anything for me to make money.

[00:08:14] It is simply just to support the podcast and help me keep it going

[00:08:16] and maybe be able to do more things as well.

[00:08:19] In addition to all of that, to the new seasons of Will Helm

[00:08:23] and the new seasons, the new season of Revisited,

[00:08:26] which is diving into the good place in the new season.

[00:08:30] I have to mention I am going to be at Terrorcon at the end of the month

[00:08:35] September 27th through the 29th.

[00:08:36] That is in Marlboro, Massachusetts, where I'm going to be moderating

[00:08:39] panels there and then the first weekend in November, November 1st

[00:08:43] or November 3rd. I will be once again at Rhode Island, Comic Con,

[00:08:47] moderating so many panels at that show that it's such an amazing show.

[00:08:51] So if you're in the area of either Terrorcon or Rhode Island, Comic Con,

[00:08:54] please make sure to come out.

[00:08:56] And if you see me say hi, it's as easy as that.

[00:08:58] Follow us on follow Will Helm on social media,

[00:09:01] www.wil- welcome to Wilhelm.com

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[00:09:15] And that about does it for this short little review episode.

[00:09:20] Thank you guys for listening.

[00:09:21] Thank you for subscribing.

[00:09:22] Tell your friends about the podcast.

[00:09:24] Word of mouth is always the best kind of promotion.

[00:09:27] Thank you for always supporting in any way that you do,

[00:09:29] whether it's just listening or reading the website.

[00:09:32] But until next time, I will see you guys down the road

[00:09:35] with another episode of Wilhelm. Take care.