4K ULTRA HD (DIGITAL) REVIEW / HDR SCREENSHOTS
Americans Ben (Scoot McNairy) and Louise Dalton (Mackenzie Davis) are unsure of the relationship they’ve developed with Brits Patrick ‘Paddy’ Feld (James McAvoy) and his wife Ciara (Aisling Franciosi). The couples meet during a postcard vacation in Tuscany and Paddy invites them and their daughter Agnes to their English countryside estate.
(Click an image to scroll the larger versions)
“SPEAK NO EVIL”
4K Ultra HD (Digital) & Blu-ray; 2024; R for some strong violence, some sexual content, and some drug use; Digital copy via Amazon Video (4K), Apple TV (4K), Fandango Home (4K), Movies Anywhere (4K), YouTube (4K)
Best extra: Commentary by writer/director James Watkins
HAVE YOU ever done something purely out of politeness, something that went against your better judgment, or that you knew you’d probably regret?
If so, you’ll be able to relate to Louise (Mackenzie Davis) and Ben Dalton (Scoot McNairy) in “Speak No Evil.”
Americans Louise, Ben, and their 11-year-old daughter Agnes (Alix West Lefler) meet an English family while on a vacation tour in Tuscany. The Brits are Paddy (James McAvoy), his wife Ciara (Aisling Franciosi), and their young son Ant (Dan Hough). Paddy soon displays his decidedly alpha male personality, which includes racing his family around the narrow cobblestoned hill town’s streets on a motor scooter. When he offers to give Agnes a ride – sans helmet – the Daltons clearly want to say no, but reluctantly agree. Although Agnes is brought back to them safely, having enjoyed her thrill ride, a power dynamic has been established between Paddy and the Americans.
When Paddy learns that the Daltons are currently living in London, he invites them to visit his home in the English countryside, to which the Daltons politely respond. Back in their tidy, minimalist apartment in London, they receive a postcard from Paddy, encouraging a visit. Louise is hesitant – they hardly know these people – but Ben is on board, so Louise gives in. And thus, is sown the seed of the Daltons’ wary adventure in which little red danger flags arise galore – such as when Paddy virtually forces a piece of roast goose into Louise’s mouth, knowing she’s a vegetarian – and a well-crafted buildup of dread evolves into a satisfying horror movie.
“Speak No Evil” is a remake of the 2022 Danish film, “The Guests,” by Christian Tafdrup, albeit with some significant changes that Watkins explains in his commentary.
Tuscany Vacation
(1) Louise and Ben soak up the sun at the Tuscan resort. (2) The beautiful Italian hill town where the two couples meet on vacation. (3) Paddy offers to give Agnes a ride on his scooter. (4) Against their better judgment, her parents reluctantly let her go without a helmet. (5) The two couples get better acquainted.
VIDEO/AUDIO
Watkins and cinematographer Tim Maurice-Jones (“The Expendables 4”) used the 4.6K Arri Alexa 35 digital cameras, which feature a Super 35 sensor and an excellent 17-stop dynamic range. Anamorphic Panavision lenses (2.39:1 aspect ratio) were used for that classic ‘70s cinematic look, while the digital files were mastered in TRUE 4K. Clarity is superb, especially with the digital 4K Ultra HD version compared to the 1080p disc. The majority of the footage was captured from a wide-angle perspective and the added resolution is a welcome sight from the foreground to the background, and with drone aerials.
The HDR10 and Dolby Vision grading is slightly darker with more controlled highlights, and the color palette – especially facial toning is more natural. Don’t be surprised that Universal will release a physical 4K disc in the future.
The 4K digital version provides a Dolby Atmos soundtrack which is slightly compressed. At the same time, the Blu-ray includes a 7.1 Dolby TrueHD track with a fuller soundstage for the dialogue and score from writing partners Danny Benz and Saunder Jurriaans.
Weekend trip to the West Country
(1) Aerial view of Paddy’s country home, showing the ominous, prison-like walls around it. (2) Paddy encourages Ben to try some of his potent home brew. (3) Paddy and Ciara entertain their guests. (4) After a scare, Agnes spends the night with her parents. (5) Paddy shows off his wilderness survival skills. (6) The group does some risky plunging into a cold quarry pool. (7) Paddy and Ben do some primal screaming.
EXTRAS
The Universal Blu-ray and digital include a multi-part behind-the-scenes documentary and Watkins’ commentary. The writer/director notes what he calls the “musical template” right from the beginning of the film, which involves skin drums to “create a primitive atmosphere.” The early scenes, meant to be in Tuscany, were actually shot in Croatia using “vintage anamorphic lenses” which, says Watkins, provided a “diffuse, softening effect.” Contrasting his version with the Danish one, in which the two families were Danish and Dutch, Watkins explains, “By making the couples English and American, I could lean into different cultural cues.” The director praises his production designer, James Price, who previously won an Oscar for “Poor Things,” as well as costume designer Keith Madden, whose flamboyant shirt introduces Paddy (“hiding in plain sight”) and Ben, whose clothing color scheme is comparatively bland.
Describing McAvoy’s character, Watkins says, “Paddy walks a line; he can charm and seduce you but is always who he is.” Watkins points out the muted color palette when the action is in the Daltons’ home in London – which was not a set, but someone’s actual apartment. When the Daltons drive to the English countryside (shot in a real uninhabited farm in Gloucestershire) where Paddy’s family lives, the scenery becomes like a “primitive, atavistic, caveman world.” A drone shot shows the family’s farmhouse, which is surrounded by thick stone walls, “like a prison yard.” Unlike the Dalton’s Spartan apartment, Paddy’s home is cluttered with “slightly creepy” objects, such as disturbing little clay figures made by Ciara, that suggest “intimacy and violence.”
Everything turns Evil
(1) Ben and Louise bristle at the way Paddy treats his son and their daughter. (2) Ant reveals some dark family secrets to Agnes. (3) Ben begins to realize the danger the family is in. (4) A rescue in the lake.
Watkins claims his intent was “not to make a jump scare movie, but a slow burn of psychological dread … a psychological thriller with a horrific central concept, instead of a horror film.” He discusses the two children in the film, noting that Alix (Agnes) had a lot of previous experience, whereas Dan (Ant) had never acted before. Watkins says he wanted to “explore the cringe of the British sense of humor regarding social awkwardness …”
Emulating Alfred Hitchcock, Watkins says he used “subjective cinema,” in order to make the audience “see through the eyes of the protagonist.”
In the scene in which Paddy takes Dan to a place where they could scream to release tension, Watkins notes that the actors were actually lip-synching, to save their voices. He also says that the monument in the scene was chosen because it’s an obvious phallic symbol. The director credits Sam Peckinpah’s “Straw Dogs” as inspiration for the climactic finale of “Speak No Evil.” Watkins explains his decision to change the ending of the film from the Danish original, for reasons that won’t be mentioned here, to avoid spoilers.
— Peggy Earle
(1) Things have gotten violent, as Ben and his family try to get away. (2) Ant has a climactic moment of release.
Comments