The Watcher (2000)
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10% of critics liked it
(88 reviews) -
35% of users liked it
(21,231 ratings)
A detective is urged on by the lunatic he's trying to put behind bars in this crime thriller. Joel Campbell (James Spader) is a police detective who has recently relocated to Chicago after spending eight frustrating years trying to track down a vicious serial killer who has been terrorizing Los… More A detective is urged on by the lunatic he's trying to put behind bars in this crime thriller. Joel Campbell (James Spader) is a police detective who has recently relocated to Chicago after spending eight frustrating years trying to track down a vicious serial killer who has been terrorizing Los Angeles. However, the slayer, David Allen Griffin (Keanu Reeves), doesn't want the game of cat and mouse to end; even though he previously put his murderous activities on hold, Griffin has started murdering young women again -- and is sending clues to Campbell, mailing him photos of his intended victims and urging Campbell to save them while he still can. Also starring Marisa Tomei, Ernie Hudson, and Chris Ellis, The Watcher was directed by Joe Charbanic. It marked Charbanic's first feature project after directing videos for a number of alternative rock groups, including Soul Coughing, Sonic Youth, and Reeves' band, Dogstar. The film was produced under the title Driven. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Directed By
- Joe Charbanic
- Written By
- Clay Ayers, Joe Charbanic, David Elliott, Darcy Meyers
- Genres
- Mystery & Suspense, Drama
- In Theaters
- Sep 8, 2000 Wide
- Studio
- Universal Pictures
Critic Reviews
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Liam Lacey, Globe and Mail
You can't buy Keanu as a sadist, but you do worry about the guys who wrote the screenplay.
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Michael Wilmington, Chicago Tribune
Is neither slick, clever nor especially thrilling.
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Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
Reeves, as the killer, has the fairly thankless task of saying only what the movie needs him to say; he's limited by the fact that his killer has no real dimension or personality apart from his function as a plot device.
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Joe Baltake, Sacramento Bee
The Watcher is thoroughly European, a nice find.
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Jay Carr, Boston Globe
To borrow a phrase from another Chicagoan, John Belushi, The Watcher is a 'but nooooo' movie.
See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)
Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)
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Cast
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James Spader
as Joel Campbell
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Marisa Tomei
as Polly
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Keanu Reeves
as David Allen Griffin
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Ernie Hudson
as Ibby
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Chris Ellis
as Hollis
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Robert Cicchini
as Mitch
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Yvonne Niami
as Lisa
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Jenny McShane
as Diana
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Gina Alexander
as Sharon
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Rebakah Louise Smith
as Ellie
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Joe Sikora
as Skater
- Tarri Markel
