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THE WATCHER
Review by Gordon Justesen
Stars:
James Spader, Marisa Tomei, Keanu Reeves
Director: Joe Charbanic
Audio: English Dolby Digital 5.1, French Dolby Digital 5.1
Video: Widescreen 1.85:1 Anamorphic Transfer
Studio: Universal
Features: Trailer, Production Notes, Cast Bios, DVD-Rom Content
Length: 97 Minutes
Release Date: February 20, 2001
Film
**1/2
The
Watcher is
an atmospheric serial killer stirrer that unfortunately covers too much familiar
territory. Many viewers can agree that their have been countless movies where a
madman is being pursued by the police through the whole movie, only to have the
villain remain one step ahead, not matter how implausible it might seem. The
Watcher does have those moments, and I did sigh at them, but when the film
is reduced to the story concerning its two principal characters, it becomes very
tense and highly intriguing. Lying underneath the formula of this thriller is a
psychological element between the hero and the villain of the movie that feels
new, and that other movies in this genre haven’t quite touched. It’s only
too bad that the movie couldn’t have dealt with that aspect of the story,
instead or resorting your basic manhunt thriller. Having just watched the
brilliant thriller Manhunter for the first time, it makes it easy to
notice how another film in the same genre falters, and although The Watcher
does boasts some individual fresh moments, it’s not at the level of a landmark
thriller such as that 15 year old Manhunter.
The
movie is given an extra boost by the credible performances of the lead actors,
who in this case are James Spader and Keanu Reeves, who both take a stab at
playing characters they don’t usually portray. Spader, who’s been seen many
a time as a psychopath is emotionally torn FBI agent Joel Campbell. And who
would’ve ever expected Keanu Reeves to take a turn as a serial killer? I
certainly didn’t, and the actor really surprised me with his cool, sinister
portrayal of serial killer David Allen Griffin.
The
movie opens with Agent Campbell, formerly working for the bureau in Los Angeles,
now working for the FBI in Chicago. When he was in Los Angeles, Campbell was a
firm, very dedicated law enforcer who had succeeded in putting away several high
profile killers. However, one killer, Griffin, proved to be too smart and
elusive for Campbell, and it resulted in the death of someone very close to him.
This traumatic event led Campbell to relocate to Chicago, where he intended on
starting over, though the past is still haunting him. Now on painkillers to
control the migraines caused by his tragic past, Campbell finds himself making
frequent trips to a shrink (Marisa Tomei) whenever the past enters his mind. To
make matters worse, it turns out that Griffin has traced the agent to Chicago,
and begins to taunt with agent’s head once again.
There
are numerous scenes that depict how Griffin targets his victims, which are young
women who live by themselves. One clever scene has Griffin flirting with a girl
in a camera shop. He asks to take her picture, which he will later use to send
to the police, notifying that she is in danger. Another scene has him come
across a homeless, but attractive young girl. She asks him for some spare
change, and he will only give her some if she dances with him. Reeves does
something interesting with his character in this film. He essentially uses his
charm and winning smile that he’s known for doing in some of his other movies
as a neat disguise for his sinister side, which is anything but charming.
I
mentioned earlier that the movie contained a rather interesting element between
the agent and the killer, and it is the strongest moment that The Watcher
has to offer. Campbell’s shrink develops a theory that he and Griffin are two
men who might possess a psychological need for one another. It’s not often
that a hunted man follows an agent from one city to another, and this possible
psychological need maybe one of a brotherhood-like link, where one cannot live
without the other.
The
Watcher
garners a mixed reaction from me. There were parts of it that I admired, and
other scenes that came across as tired, clichéd moments. The movie’s key
moments of suspense, like the climatic fight in an abandoned warehouse laced
with candles and gasoline, are unoriginal and tired for sure. However, the movie
does a good job from a technical standpoint, and makes these scenes somewhat
intriguing. I enjoyed the performances very much. Those who squinted at the
notion of Keanu Reeves playing a serial killer might be surprised at how
effective he is, and Spader boats one his most effective performances to date as
the scarred Agent Campbell. What The Watcher suffers from primarily is
the fact that it is part of a genre that has presented far better thrillers such
as Seven and Manhunter, and it elaborates too much on the familiar
aspects of it’s serial killer story, and doesn’t do a whole lot with the
subplots, which are much more fresh and intriguing.
Universal
offers up a mostly good video transfer of a movie in which most of the scenes
take place at night. Give or take a few scenes which appear somewhat soft, this
anamorphically enhanced widescreen presentation for the most part clear, with no
other noticeable flaws. Colors are displayed very well and appear very
naturally. Overall, a exceptional offering.
I
didn’t see this movie in the theaters, but I can certainly say that the audio
transfer on this movie probably added a whole lot to the effect. Universal
delivers a good deal of tension with their 5.1 Dolby Digital presentation, which
captures everything from the musical score to every possible sound effect in the
movie’s numerous action scenes. I mentioned the climatic scene in the
warehouse, which is especially effective in this audio transfer. A wonderful
job.
Universal
for some reason pulled the plug on their usual offerings, such as a behind the
scenes documentary, or a commentary track, and only offers a trailer as its
primary feature. What irritated me most about this area, other than the fact
that for a while Universal was excelling in this field, is the fact that they
elaborated on the Production Notes and Cast Bios, as if they were exciting
extras. I hope this isn’t implying that the studio isn’t planning on
reducing themselves to this in their extras, much like were known for doing with
their early releases.
Summary: