The Listener
  • The Listener home
  • The Listener E-edition
  • Opinion
  • Politics
  • Health & nutrition
  • Arts & Culture
  • New Zealand
  • World
  • Consumer tech & enterprise
  • Food & drink

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Politics
  • Opinion
  • New Zealand
  • World
  • Health & nutrition
  • Consumer tech & enterprise
  • Art & culture
  • Food & drink
  • Entertainment
  • Books
  • Life

More

  • The Listener E-edition
  • The Listener on Facebook
  • The Listener on Instagram
  • The Listener on X

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / The Listener / Entertainment

James McAvoy chalks up another memorable psycho

By Sarah Watt
Movie reviewer·New Zealand Listener·
17 Sep, 2024 05:00 PM2 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

    Reminder, this is a Premium article and requires a subscription to read.

James McAvoy steals the show as Paddy in Speak No Evil. Photo / supplied

James McAvoy steals the show as Paddy in Speak No Evil. Photo / supplied

James McAvoy, a one-time Mister Nice Guy with terrific range, is superb as the complex, multidimensional psychopath in this excellent thriller about the perils of making new friends on holiday.

Speak No Evil, the English-language remake of a 2022 Danish psychological horror of the same name, begins in a glorious Italian hill town where a holidaying American couple (played by Scoot McNairy and Mackenzie Davis) meets-not-so-cute with boorish British holidaymakers Paddy (McAvoy) and Ciara (Aisling Franciosi) and their taciturn young son.

As the parents hit it off over glasses of Chianti and confessions of middle-aged angst, the wild-eyed, fun-loving Paddy invites the London-dwelling Americans to come and spend a bucolic week in his West Country farmhouse.

A very black comedy of manners ensues at first, with clever and painfully realistic dialogue that skewers everything from vegetarianism and environmentalism to differing parenting styles.


But it’s soon clear there’s more at stake here than just drunken arguments over plates of home-killed goose. Tensions are slowly and deliciously ratcheted up as out-of-towners Ben and Louise realise their idyllic weekend in the country is turning sour.

British director James Watkins already has a couple of creepy movies under his belt, which feel like stepping stones to this extremely accomplished nailbiter. Eden Lake in 2008 told the tale of a young couple on holiday who encounter a band of threatening youths, and his rendition of The Woman in Black demonstrated a knack for gothic horror.

Here, Watkins capitalises on McAvoy’s recent acuity playing the “crazy criminal”, following his multiple-personality serial killer in M. Night Shyamalan’s Split. The Scottish actor has a stunning ability to subvert expectations mid-sentence with a sudden twitch of his jaw and hardening of his eyes.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

McAvoy totally steals the show here, but Davis’s tight-jawed Louise and emasculated husband Ben (a brilliantly feeble McNairy) make the perfect foil, particularly as Paddy recites the famous Philip Larkin poem This Be the Verse during a nerve-racking dinner party.

As the story ploughs towards its brilliant and bloody climax, it’s a helpful reminder that sometimes hell really is other people.

Discover more

Humanist Vampire channels What We Do in the Shadows with heartfelt humour

17 Sep 12:30 AM

Does next generation Beetlejuice sequel live up to the hype?

06 Sep 05:00 PM

Rating out of five: ★★★★½

Speak No Evil, directed by James Watkins, is in cinemas now.


Save

    Share this article

    Reminder, this is a Premium article and requires a subscription to read.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from The Listener

LISTENER
The Listener’s July Viewing Guide:  The Sandman’s last stand, a new Polkinghorne doco, and Jaws revisited

The Listener’s July Viewing Guide: The Sandman’s last stand, a new Polkinghorne doco, and Jaws revisited

04 Jul 06:00 PM

The shows you don't want to miss this month.

LISTENER
Tami Neilson’s Neon Cowgirl reviewed – her time to shine

Tami Neilson’s Neon Cowgirl reviewed – her time to shine

11 Jul 12:00 AM
LISTENER
Weekend wine guide: Cyclone Gabrielle’s lasting impact on Hawke’s Bay 2023 chardonnays

Weekend wine guide: Cyclone Gabrielle’s lasting impact on Hawke’s Bay 2023 chardonnays

10 Jul 06:00 PM
LISTENER
30 Under 30 - the young New Zealanders shaping our future

30 Under 30 - the young New Zealanders shaping our future

06 Jul 06:05 PM
LISTENER
NZ-made killer doll sequel another scary merry dance

NZ-made killer doll sequel another scary merry dance

10 Jul 06:00 PM
NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Contact NZ Herald
  • Help & support
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
NZ Listener
  • NZ Listener e-edition
  • Contact Listener Editorial
  • Advertising with NZ Listener
  • Manage your Listener subscription
  • Subscribe to NZ Listener digital
  • Subscribe to NZ Listener
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotion and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • NZ Listener
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP