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Review
Archives
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Today's
Date is:
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The
Watcher
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Reviewed
by: |
David
Litton |
| Genre: |
Drama |
| Video: |
1.85:1
anamorphic widescreen |
| Audio: |
Dolby
Digital 5.1 |
| Language: |
English,
French |
| Subtitle: |
English |
| Length: |
1
hr, 37 min |
| Rating: |
R |
| Release
Date: |
2-20-01
|
| Studio: |
Universal
Pictures |
| Commentary:
|
None |
| Documentaries:
|
None |
| Featurettes:
|
None |
| Filmography/Biography:
|
yes |
|
Interviews: |
None |
| Trailers/TV
Spots: |
1
trailer |
| Alternate/Deleted
Scenes: |
None |
| Music
Video: |
None |
| Other:
|
DVD-ROM
features- screen savers, wallpapers |
| Cast
and Crew: |
Keanu Reeves,
James Spader, Marisa Tomei |
| Screenplay
by: |
Written by:
David Elliot and Clay Ayers |
| Produced
by: |
Christopher Eberts,
Elliot Lewitt, Jeff Rice, Nile Niami |
| Directed
By: |
Joe Charbanic |
| Music: |
Marco Beltrami |
| The
Review: |
"It's
never quite that easy... you go through the door, they're never
just sitting there waiting for you with a welcoming smile on
their face. Best you can do is hope they screw up and do what
you can to be there when they do." "The Watcher" is the most
recent addition to a long line of serial killer thriller films,
and it does a somewhat commendable job in carrying out its plot.
In reality, it is little more than a highly stylized showcase
for all of the classic thriller cliches that have become so
well-known throughout the last century, taking them and giving
them an extra flare by using stunning cinematic tricks, a stellar
cast and a pounding soundtrack. I am divided as to whether I
like this movie or not: I enjoyed the vast array of shocking
and vivid images, while I tended to become a bit bored by the
cliches it portrayed throughout. I can't say that I completely
hated this film, yet I cannot fully like it, either. The movie
begins when FBI agent Joel Campbell begins receiving phone calls
and photographs from his arch nemesis, a serial killer whose
last alias was that of David Allen Griffin. He takes special
care in killing lonely women with piano wire, leaving the scene
of the crime with no trace of his identity. Campbell has a personal
connection to Griffin: through his flashbacks, we see his attempt
to rescue a woman trapped in a burning house, and his relationship
to this woman as well as his involvement with Griffin will all
be revealed in due time, one of the movie's attributes. The
beginning of the movie may seem draggy the first fifteen minutes,
as we are taken into the depths of Campbell's psychological
and physical problems, but the movie will pick up once Griffin
makes contact. We learn that Griffin has followed Campbell to
Chicago from Los Angeles, out of some desire unknown to the
audience. Campbell's therapist, Polly Beilman, believes that
they have become so enamored with one another, the killer with
eluding Campbell, and Campbell with catching his prey, that
one would not know how to live without the other. Campbell receives
a phone call from Griffin, who offers him a single chance to
locate his victims within a 24-hour period of time. As he begins
selecting his victims, the chase is on as Campbell picks up
more clues and hints as to the location and identity of Griffin.
Sounds good, right? So what is it about this thriller that partially
ruins it? For me, it was the extensive amount of cliches that
the movie contains, from the very beginning until the ending,
which is a little unsatisfying. The movie contains its fair
share of bungling cops who always arrive one minute too late
to save the victim from their grizzly fate. This leaves it up
to one man, the only smart one of the bunch, to try and decifer
all the clues on his own, temporarily aided in scenes where
he needs it. This formula has been used so many times, it's
a bit of a letdown that script writers David Elliot and Clay
Ayers could not come up with something more original. There
is one of two good things about this movie, though, and that
is its sense of style and filming techniques. The beginning
sequences does a good job of instilling a slight sense of fear
in the viewers, which is also carried on throughout the remainder
of the film by the flashy cinematography which includes the
grainy images as seen from Griffin's point of view, slow-motion
flashbacks that leave us to use our imaginations when constructing
crime scenes, and fast-moving scenes during intense action sequences.
There is an offbeat vision and sensory style to this film which
allows it to rise out of the depths of film hell. The soundtrack
also adds a lot of pulsating bass beats to add to the unease
intended by the filmmakers, while also delivering a killer soundtrack
of alternative music to accompany the pursuits. This movie is
also not unlike one of Reeves' others films, "Chain Reaction,"
which contained some of the best action sequences while possessing
a faulty story. The case for this movie is similar, as there
is another stunning cavalcade of action effects and suspense-building
scenes. The cops-versus-Griffin chase scenes offer a lot in
terms of suspense, while also keeping the movie going at a steady
pace. Another turnon for the film is the way in which the murder
scenes are carried out. There is not a vast amount of blood
or gore in these scenes, which allows us to use more of our
imagination in putting it together as it happens. I like it
when a movie is able to do this, instead of taking gore and
passing it off as art. Actors for "The Watcher" deliver quality
performances that make the movie enjoyable. James Spader plays
the delusional detective Joel Campbell, and he does a perfect
job in delivering Campbell's emotions when it comes to pursuing
his target. We are able to believe in his not wanting to give
up despite the effects it may have on him physically and emotionally.
Spader plays Campbell as a stern and aggressive character, the
character to root for throughout. Keanu Reeves plays his rival,
David Allen Griffin, and does one of his better acting jobs
here. This is material he was born to play... he possesses wit
and a certain twisted charm that is intrical to Griffin's character,
and that makes him a better serial killer than most other movies.
Oscar winner Marisa Tomei plays therapist Polly Beilman, though
she is not really able to display a lot of her talent in this
film, as it focuses mainly on the two leads and their physical
and psychological battle with one another. I give "The Watcher"
three stars on the basis of its cinematography, its acting,
its action sequences, and its unrealized potential. The story
does leave a lot to be desired in terms of originality, but
it can be a lot of fun if you don't think too much about it.
The fast pace of the film never hinders, and the actors never
fail in giving us performances to cheer for. We almost wish
we could extract the characters and place them in a different
movie, but nonetheless, it remains enjoyable on a strictly basic
level. -- |
| Image
and Sound |
While the
DVD release and movie remain mediocre, "The Watcher" is a well-crafted
DVD in terms of picture and sound. Charbanic's visual actuity
and intensely paced sequences are given a sharp and pristine
clarity in color definition and edge sharpness, while artifacts
and noise remain non-existant. The sound quality has a tendency
to reach high levels of intensity in certain scenes, and while
the dialogue scenes are perfectly centered, the musical score
and scenes involving explosions wrap the viewer in the movie.
A well-done DVD! |
| The
Extras |
"The Watcher,"
despite its flaws, deserved a better DVD release. What may have
saved this edition from being a flop is the presence of either
an audio commentary track or a making-of featurette, but this
movie has neither. Nor are there any deleted scenes or things
you would expect out of Universal, a company who has become
increasingly biased in what kind of movies get what kind of
DVD treatment. There are production notes, cast and crew biographies,
a theatrical trailer, and DVD-ROM content composed of screensavers
and wallpapers for both Windows and Macintosh. There's really
nothing you'll find on this DVD that can't be found in five
minutes on the internet. Not a very impressive collection. |
| Commentary |
None |
| Final
Words: |
While "The
Watcher" is not on par with such exciting thrillers as "Seven"
or "The Cell," it still has its good points and a nice pace
of action and suspense. Keanu Reeves is surprisingly convincing,
but it is Spader that delivers the best performance. All-in-all,
not a waste of time or money. |
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