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The Watcher
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The Watcher (2000/I) More at IMDbPro »

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The Watcher (2000) -- US Home Video Trailer from Universal

Overview

User Rating:
5.2/10   11,722 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 30% in popularity this week. See rank & trends on IMDbPro.
Director:
Joe Charbanic
Writers (WGA):
Darcy Meyers (story) and
David Elliot (story) ...
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Contact:
View company contact information for The Watcher on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
8 September 2000 (USA) more
Genre:
Crime | Mystery | Thriller more
Tagline:
Don't go home alone. more
Plot:
David Allen Griffin is a cool killer- time and time again, he chooses a female victim, studies her for... more | add synopsis
Awards:
1 nomination more
User Comments:
Fairly clichéd but still quite enjoyable more

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

James Spader ... Joel Campbell

Keanu Reeves ... David Allen Griffin

Marisa Tomei ... Dr. Polly Beilman

Ernie Hudson ... Ibby

Chris Ellis ... Hollis
Robert Cicchini ... Mitch Casper
Yvonne Niami ... Lisa Anton

Jenny McShane ... Diana (as Jennifer McShane)
Gina Alexander ... Sharon
Rebekah Louise Smith ... Ellie
Joseph Sikora ... Skater (as Joe Sikora)
Jill Peterson ... Jessica (as Jillian Peterson)
Michele DiMaso ... Rachel (as Michelle Dimaso)

Andrew Rothenberg ... Jack Fray

David Pasquesi ... Norton
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Create a character page for: ?

Additional Details

Also Known As:
Driven (USA) (working title)
more
MPAA:
Rated R for violence and language.
Runtime:
97 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Color:
Color
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS
Filming Locations:
Chicago, Illinois, USA more
Company:
Interlight more

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Universal reportedly paid $5 million to acquire the North American distribution rights of this movie. more
Goofs:
Continuity: When they are investigating the first picture, a detective's computer screen shows the third picture that hasn't been sent yet. more
Quotes:
David Allen Griffin: [to Dr. Polly Beilman] Do you think... some of your patients might pay to come see you because... you're very pretty. more
Movie Connections:
References "The New Price Is Right" (1972) more
Soundtrack:
ROADS more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
24 out of 30 people found the following comment useful:-
Fairly clichéd but still quite enjoyable, 18 January 2004
Author: bob the moo from Birmingham, UK

Having failed to catch a serial killer who finally murdered a woman he had been sleeping with, Joel Campbell moves cities and lives his life on benefits suffering from migraines, heavily medicated most of the time. This painful but quiet life is shattered when the killer follows him to the city and begins a game of cat and mouse with him - sending him a picture of a woman 24 hours before he kills her. Joel rejoins the police in an effort to save his potential victims as well as catching him.

I, like many others, wasn't too bothered by this film when it was released - it looked like it would be yet another serial killer movie, and it was! The plot requires the usual gimmick and here it is the old chestnut of the cop and bad guy needing each other and the killer having a sort of respect and need for his pursuer. None of the film will surprise you but it still moves forward reasonably quickly without being dull and it is reasonably enjoyable. The action scenes are not great and the film never really has a real air of menace or tension, but it is still slick enough to watch - even if it is almost impossible to be emotionally involved.

The director managed to get his timing right to get Reeves in the midst of a reasonable cast; he shot a few videos for Reeves' band years prior in exchange for Reeves doing this film which, despite hitting it big with The Matrix, was a promise he honoured. However as a director his music video roots are heavily showing here with far too many flashy visual tricks that stick out from the body of the film and actually take away more than they bring. However, getting Reeves was worth him having the chair for his star does surprisingly well to step out of his Neo role and into a mean, playful role. No, he's not doing anything different with it from anyone else who plays this type of serial killer role but he is still charismatic enough to make a difference. Spader is also pretty good and has more to work with than Reeves, but Tomsei is almost totally wasted with very little to do to justify such a well known actress. To be honest none of them have much to work with above the norm, but they still add to the film by their names.

Overall I did quite enjoy the film but I will be the first to admit that it was nothing new and really didn't do anything different or unusual with the basic premise and material. The director tries to liven it up a bit with the odd visual trick, but it only serves to make the film look a little desperate to be different. The end result is an average thriller that has a better than average cast (for this type of thing) and will pass the time without annoying you if you know what to expect.

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