The Watcher

R

Released Sep 8, 2000

1h 36m

Mystery & Thriller

List

11%

92 Reviews

Tomatometer

28%

10,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

"The Watcher" is an exciting psychological thriller that takes a unique look into the minds of both a serial killer and the man who must, reluctantly, pursue him. In an almost Hitchcockian way, the film quickly introduces us to the killer, David Allen Griffin, played by Keanu Reeves, who for many years, preyed on lonely young women in the Los Angeles area. The story is set up to create a taut cat-and-mouse game between Griffin and FBI agent Joel Campbell.

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Critics Consensus

The Watcher has Keanu Reeves cast against type, but the movie is short on thrills, suspense, and believability.

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matthias s

"The Watcher" offers a star-studded cast, with Keanu Reeves and James Spader leading the charge. While I'm a devout Keanu fan, this film left me scratching my head. The camerawork is a dizzying mess, making it hard to appreciate the excellent cast and their performances. James Spader is perfectly cast, but the decision to make Keanu the bad guy feels like a missed opportunity. Swap their roles, and the movie might have had some real intrigue. The flashback scenes are downright bizarre, and the thriller label falls flat – it lacks the tension and eeriness you'd expect. The plot, though decent, is marred by predictability. The director's choices, especially regarding camera work, are a letdown. The killings' motives are perplexingly weird, and aesthetically, it's a disaster. Despite some redeeming qualities in the plot and cast, "The Watcher" falls short of its potential, leaving me unthrilled and disappointed.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

01/29/24

Full Review

KEVIN C

I remember liking this more the first time I saw this. It's not an awful movie. It has a fantastic cast with James Spader, Marisa Tomei and Keanu Reeves. Reeves plays a serial killer terrorizing Chicago and constantly one step ahead of the detective on his trail, Spader. Reeves is still kind of likeable even as a killer and some of the story is pretty implausible. Overall it's a fun but ridiculous thriller mostly because of the cast.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

11/20/22

Full Review

spencer k

This slow paced dud jumps around from action, forror, suspense, and mystery, while never actually properly following through on any. It continues to put you on the edge of your seat, only to realize that you're on a trip to nowhere. This is by far the worst series of it's type I've seen come from netflix. I Honestly can not overstate the waste of time that this "true story" was to watch. The few action and horror inspired scenes are inevitably followed up with no answers. The avenues of logic it take you down never go anywhere, and as if that wasn't bad enough, there are enough of them to leave you with a 3-day migraine. The Watcher absolutely sucked in every way. Cinematography, story, cast, and worst of all, MY TIME.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

10/21/22

Full Review

rajkumar t

Watch with full excitement and the result came out to be boring nothing but waste of time..... It's the same thing again n again.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

10/19/22

Full Review

Mandy S

So many plot holes and non sense choices, over the top characters and red herrings that it turns what could of been a taught series into an Anouilh disappointment. And don't even talk about the ending.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

10/19/22

Full Review

iseult d

I was really disappointed in this. Unconvincing performances. The acting did not seem realistic. Plot poor and reminiscent of "The Shining". Unbelievable characters but not in a good way. Why did I waste some hours of my life watching this? Because I thought it might improve as it went along.................did not happen.....

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

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Joe Charbanic

Director

James Spader

Campbell

Marisa Tomei

Polly

Keanu Reeves

Griffin

Ernie Hudson

FBI Director

Chris Ellis

Hollis

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Nell Minow

Common Sense Media

Tired plot and disastrous casting.

Rated: 2/5

Dec 29, 2010

Full Review

Nick Schager

Lessons of Darkness

One of the lamest serial killer thrillers of the post-Silence of the Lambs era.

Rated: D

May 4, 2005

Full Review

Liam Lacey

Globe and Mail

You can't buy Keanu as a sadist, but you do worry about the guys who wrote the screenplay.

Rated: 2/4

Apr 25, 2003

Full Review

Chuck Klosterman

Akron Beacon Journal

What's ultimately most frustrating about The Watcher is the way it takes a scenario that's genuinely frightening and makes it seem implausible.

Rated: 1.5/4

Oct 28, 2023

Full Review

Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

Watching a miscast Keanu Reeves portray a brilliant serial killer is akin to watching a month-old kitten try to navigate its way across a junkyard guarded by a half-dozen pit bulls -- it ain't a pretty sight.

Rated: 1.5/4

Sep 17, 2021

Full Review

Nick Rogers

Midwest Film Journal

Had Keanu Reeves gotten litigious, everyone would still remember the lawsuit. No one is still talking about "The Watcher." Well, almost no one. Instead, the stream remained serene. The air remained pure. The breeze, like the man, remained cool.

Rated: 1/5

Oct 8, 2020

Full Review

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Synopsis

"The Watcher" is an exciting psychological thriller that takes a unique look into the minds of both a serial killer and the man who must, reluctantly, pursue him. In an almost Hitchcockian way, the film quickly introduces us to the killer, David Allen Griffin, played by Keanu Reeves, who for many years, preyed on lonely young women in the Los Angeles area. The story is set up to create a taut cat-and-mouse game between Griffin and FBI agent Joel Campbell.

Director: Joe Charbanic
Producer: Patrick D. Choi, Nile Niami, Paul Pompian
Screenwriter: Darcy Meyers, David Elliot, David Elliot, Clay Ayers
Distributor: MCA/Universal Pictures [us]
Production Co: Universal Pictures, Interlight
Rating: R (Violence|Language)
Genre: Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Sep 8, 2000, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Feb 12, 2014
Box Office (Gross USA): $28.9M
Runtime: 1h 36m
Sound Mix: SDDS, Dolby Digital, DTS, Surround, Dolby SR
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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