Name: The Watcher
Genre: Mystery, Thriller
Released: 2000-09-08
Duration: 96 min
Rating: 5.1
Cast: James Spader, Keanu Reeves, Marisa Tomei, Ernie Hudson, Chris Ellis

Don't go home alone.

Director: Joe Charbanic

Producer: Christopher Eberts, Nile Niami, Jeff Rice, Elliott Lewitt

FBI agent Joel Campbell, burnt-out and shell-shocked after years spent chasing serial killers, flees L.A. to begin a new life for himself in Chicago. But five months later, Joel's best laid plans are abruptly cut short when his new hometown becomes the setting for some particularly gruesome murders--murders that could only have been committed by one man: David Allen Griffin. One of Joel's most elusive and cunning nemeses, Griffin has followed his former pursuer to Chicago in order to play a sadistic game of cat and mouse. Taunting Joel with photographs of his intended victims and leaving his crime scenes meticulously free of clues in order to keep the police at bay, Griffin derives as much pleasure out of watching Joel react to every movement as watching his victims die. But when Griffin moves into Joel's inner circle, Joel must quickly find some way to stop him before someone close to him becomes the next one to die.

96 min Rating: 5.113/10 Released

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Top Cast

James Spader

FBI Special Agent Joel Campbell

Keanu Reeves

David Allen Griffin

Marisa Tomei

Dr. Polly Beilman

Ernie Hudson

FBI Special Agent in Charge Mike Ibby

Chris Ellis

Hollis

Robert Cicchini

Mitch

Movie Info

Director: Joe Charbanic

Producer: Christopher Eberts, Nile Niami, Jeff Rice, Elliott Lewitt

Production Companies: Universal Pictures, Lewitt / Eberts Productions, Choi / Niami Productions, Driven Productions, Interlight

Countries: United States of America

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User Reviews

What Others Said

tmdb28039023: The Watcher is about a tormented FBI agent and a deranged serial killer. For some reason, James Spader plays the former and Keanu Reeves the latter, when it’s obvious to anyone familiar with both actors’ careers that it should be the other way around. Miscasting aside, Reeves sleepwalks through his role as if it were a contractual obligation – which it apparently was; if you believe his story, someone forged his signature on the contract. I’m going to go ahead and take that with a grain of salt; on the other hand, at least Reeves, unlike Spader, has an excuse, far-fetched though it may be. Then again, it’s not like anyone involved in the making of this movie made an actual effort. Director Joe Charbanic and writers David Elliot and Clay Ayers adopt a lather-rinse-repeat approach toward the material. First thing in the morning, Reeves sends Spader a picture of a woman and gives him till nine o’clock that night to find her before he kills her. The following day they wake up and do it all over again. The first time lacks suspense because it's too early in the game and we know Spader isn't going to catch Reeves so easily and quickly; moreover, the film is so formulaic and derivative (with shades of Reservoir Dogs and Blow-up, to name but a couple of examples) there is little hope of its throwing us a curve at any point. And the second time is even less suspenseful because, well, been there done that.