The Watcher

The Watcher is about a tormented FBI agent and a deranged serial killer. For some reason, James Spader plays the former and Keanu Reeves the latter, when it’s obvious to anyone familiar with both actors’ careers that it should be the other way around.

Miscasting aside, Reeves sleepwalks through his role as if it were a contractual obligation – which it apparently was; if you believe his story, someone forged his signature on the contract. I’m going to go ahead and take that with a grain of salt; on the other hand, at least Reeves, unlike Spader, has an excuse, far-fetched though it may be.

Then again, it’s not like anyone involved in the making of this movie made an actual effort. Director Joe Charbanic and writers David Elliot and Clay Ayers adopt a lather-rinse-repeat approach toward the material. First thing in the morning, Reeves sends Spader a picture of a woman and gives him till nine o’clock that night to find her before he kills her. The following day they wake up and do it all over again.

The first time lacks suspense because it's too early in the game and we know Spader isn't going to catch Reeves so easily and quickly; moreover, the film is so formulaic and derivative (with shades of Reservoir Dogs and Blow-up, to name but a couple of examples) there is little hope of its throwing us a curve at any point. And the second time is even less suspenseful because, well, been there done that.