The Watcher

The Watcher (2000)

  • 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

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R,
Directed By
Written By
Clay Ayers, Joe Charbanic, David Elliott, Darcy Meyers
Genres
Mystery & Suspense, Drama
In Theaters
Sep 8, 2000 Wide
Universal Pictures

Critic Reviews

  • Liam Lacey, Globe and Mail

    You can't buy Keanu as a sadist, but you do worry about the guys who wrote the screenplay.

  • Michael Wilmington, Chicago Tribune

    Is neither slick, clever nor especially thrilling.

  • 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.

  • Joe Baltake, Sacramento Bee

    The Watcher is thoroughly European, a nice find.

  • Jay Carr, Boston Globe

    To borrow a phrase from another Chicagoan, John Belushi, The Watcher is a 'but nooooo' movie.

Read all 14 critic reviews

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)

Featured Audience Ratings

  • ♥˩ƳИИ &


    Cast: James Spader, Keanu Reeves, Marisa Tomei, Ernie Hudson, Chris Ellis, Robert Cicchini, Jenny McShane, Rich Komenich Director: Joe Charbanic, Jeff Jensen Summary: Burned out after failing to bust a sadistic serial killer in Los Angeles, FBI agent Joel Campbell (James Spader)… More

  • Dean M


    Tense, twisting plot, great ending. The relationship between the characters in this crime drama sets it apart from other serial killer movies. In fact, I would have like another 15 minutes in the movie to bring out these relationship even more. I would have like a little more… More

  • Dean !


    An average thriller about a serial killer who taunts the FBI detective who has been on his case for the past few years. Watchable, but pretty straight forward compared to most thrillers.

  • Leigh R


    I love bad Keanu. :)

  • Luke B


    According to reports of Keanu never wanting to do this film it comes as no surprise his performance is more vacant and uninteresting than usual. Spader has a few moments to shine but a lot of the film moves very quickly and then stops suddenly. We are treated to a repetitous plot as… More

Read all 12 featured audience ratings

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