Film
Movie theaters, reviews and showtimes in Chicago, plus articles, trailers and more
- Home
- Box Office
- Listings
- Trailers
- Features
Bookmark this page- Edition:
The Watcher (2000)
Director: Joe Charbanic
Movie review
From Time Out Film Guide
Spader and Tomei, as the haunted ex-cop and his lonely shrink, add a human dimension to a derivative scenario. Based on the premise that serial killers, whose obsession is with their victims, also like to play cat and mouse games with the cops, this has voyeuristic strangler Reeves (comatose) following the burnt-out Spader to Chicago. Reeves believes that they have a vitalising 'yin and yang'-type relationship, so he starts sending Spader photos of his intended victims, 24 hours in advance. Spader takes the bait, cleans up his act and discovers new meaning in his life. Tomei, meanwhile, unwittingly offers psychoanalytical solace to both cop and killer. Veteran cinematographer Michael Chapman adds an unearned class to the cityscapes and over-designed interiors, but the director's penchant for MTV-style flashbacks and shaky-cam killer's-eye shots merely induces headaches. And the more Marco Beltrami's overpitched score tries to crank up the suspense level, the more vapid, pointless and unexciting it gets.Author: NF
Cast & crew
Director: Joe Charbanic
Producer: Christopher Eberts, Elliot Lewitt, Jeff Rice, Nile Niami
Cast: James Spader, Marisa Tomei, Ernie Hudson, Chris Ellis, Keanu Reeves, Robert Cicchini, Yvonne Niami, Jennifer McShane, Gina Alexander full cast
Genre(s): Thrillers
Duration: 97 mins
Features
Gray's anatomy
James Gray wants to push buttons—again.
The next big thing?
Gigantic Releasing tries to rethink indie distribution…without movie theaters.
Red Diva: Lyubov Orlova, First Lady of Soviet Cinema
So you think you can dance, comrade?
Puppet master
Coraline director Henry Selick takes stop-motion animation into 3-D.
Socratic method
Laurent Cantet's approach on the set matches the message of his film.
Wander woman
Kelly Reichardt's Wendy and Lucy puts a Bush-era spin on the road movie.
Oscars
Read our interviews with the nominees, our reviews of the nominated films and more.
What do you think?
Post your review now