Can we just talk about how Speak No Evil was one of the highest rated yet worst movies we've ever seen?
It's anger porn and bad decisions all the way through, just absolutely agonizing to watch. Who the fuck rated this positively? They even had the very much repeated "oh no almost got hit by a semi" trope. How many bad decisions can you make coupled with lack of self preservation for your own life and especially your child's? Fuck right off with this
Think about the fact that you are watching this movie from the confort of your seat.
But go back to real life. You would have not gotten all the cues. You would have gotten in trouble. You are never ready for a situation like this. Imagine your whole body freaking out. Fight or flight. You start acting crazy. It happens.
Yes, at the end everything goes a bit too crazy. But the rest of the movie is definitely great. You can feel the tension rising, amazing performances, you suffer a lot for the kids, and the couple subplot is really touching.
Yes it's not the best movie ever. But it's far from terrible.
It's so incredibly heavy-handed with its plot devices to the point that it feels like its genuinely doing it for "engagement" like you said. I enjoyed the acting by the host couple and could definitely see a good movie in there if it wasn't for the 2 protagonists' grating personalities and the combination of tropey and non-sensical descision making.
It's just insane. Every single chance they have to escape they opt out. Even at the end, instead of telling your daughter to stand by where she can be seen and protected, you just say "fuck it go over there, we'll figure it out"
AND EVEN THEN, she's held hostage because let's face it, we're just a bad decision flow chart personified, and even though you just hit the most evil person you'll ever encounter with ketamine, you still don't have the balls to kill him.
The only thing that could have made this movie better was the whole family actually being hit by a semi during their escape so that way they can never make a decision again.
Another way to say that is, save us from your own writing.
I saw the Danish original, and it's very bleak, but the decision-making didn't bother me because after watching The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo I assumed that people in that part of the world have a hang-up about politeness. To the extent that a fear of being impolite overwhelms any fear for your own safety.
Maybe it made more sense than the American remake (which I'm guessing is what you're talking about).