The Watcher
Jack Nicholson in The Shining. Anthony Hopkins in The Silence of the Lambs. Kevin Spacey in Seven. And now, Keanu Reeves in The Watcher.
Which of the above names doesn't seem to fit? Hmm. If you think Reeves doesn't have the necessary menace to portray a serial killer/psychopath, you're not alone (he was nominated for a 2000 Razzie Award for Worst Actor for his role in The Watcher). But despite this casting flaw, The Watcher isn't a complete washout.
The movie follows the plight of Campbell (James Spader), an FBI agent who moves from Los Angles to Chicago to escape some ugly memories. Unfortunately, he's followed there by Griffin (Keanu Reeves), a serial killer who delights in tormenting Campbell and declares that he found committing murders in L.A. too mundane after Campbell departed.
In between popping pills to make him forget his past, Campbell meets with a therapist (Marisa Tomei), who proposes a theory that perhaps he and Griffin "need each other." Judging by the painstaking preparation Griffin puts into setting crime puzzles and issuing elaborate challenges for Campbell to solve, she may have a point.
The Watcher is one of many mediocre "serial killer" movies that have followed in the wake of 1995's landmark Seven. That film featured highly innovative direction by David Fincher (Fight Club), excellent acting and a premise (the serial killer murdered seven people, each of which had committed one of the seven deadly sins) that was interesting and at least marginally plausible.
Since then, serial-killer films have repeatedly tried to up the anty, with diminishing returns. Each killer has a more elaborate motive, a more intricate plan, and each film is less and less realistic. In The Watcher, Griffin seems much more interested in manipulating Campbell than he is in his actual victims. The situation reaches its peak level of absurdity in the film's climax, in which Griffin lures Campbell to an intricately booby-trapped, elaborately candlelit room to torment him about his troubled past and offer up the next chapter in his troubles.
Despite the script's weaknesses, the movie does deliver some top-notch suspense scenes. When Griffin sends Campbell a photo of his next victim, it sets up a nail-biting sequence where the cops frantically try to locate the killer via fliers, news flashes on television, and talking to people face-to-face. It's a sad commentary on today's society that although we live in the "information age," few people make the interpersonal connections that would allow the cops to save this victim.
Spader is arguably the best thing about the movie, and helps compensate for Reeves' shortcomings. He has a meaty, interesting role, and makes the most of it, giving a vivid portrayal of a man haunted by his past and desperately trying to cling to something to live for. (Side note: Seinfeld fans will recognize him as the recovering alcoholic who refuses to apologize to George Costanza).
Alas, Marisa Tomei continues her unfortunate career slide since winning an Oscar for My Cousin Vinny. She's given the thankless role of Spader's psychiatrist and inevitable Reeves victim. Can't someone give this actress a better role?
The Watcher is a film with some good suspense scenes and a solid performance by Spader, but it's ultimately a run-of-the-mill thriller that's likely to be forgotten within a few years.
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No memorable drinking scenes, and flick doesn't soar high or low enough to merit imbibing on its own merits (or lack thereof).
Combination of hotties Reeves, Spader and Tomei and some good suspense scenes overcomes the film's inadequacies.
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