The Watcher (2000)

A story about a serial killer with in depth knowledge of police procedures who kills only in a carefully choreographed ritualistic fashion. Haven't I seen that movie already? Actually, I think I've seen many of them. That of course begs the question "Why see this one?" Good question.

The reason to see this one is that it takes a somewhat different look at this increasingly over used genre. Most of the time the focus is entirely on the person investigating the killings, with little to no attempt to develop the killer as a character. In The Watcher, the focus is split between FBI agent Joel Campbell (James Spader) and the killer Griffin (Keanu Reeves).

Campbell has moved from LA to Chicago to escape Griffin. The hunt has left him an emotional wreck, suffering from migraines. Griffin however grows bored in LA without Campbell. The two of them have developed a relationship of sorts. Griffin seems to kill because he enjoys leading Campbell on a chase. Campbell doesn't seem quite as happy with the arrangement and is seeing a therapist (Marisa Tomei).

Griffin follows him to Chicago and starts the game again. Of course, Campbell is sick and not working anymore so it takes him a couple victims to take notice. A killing in his own apartment building inspires him to rejoin the chase though. Pretty soon things are back to normal, with Griffin giving Campbell a picture of his next victim and a day to save her.

Spader does an excellent job in this role. He isn't some super cop, relentlessly hunting down a killer. Instead he comes off as a man suffering from guilt at having failed to stop the killings. At the same time he can't get over his guilt without the return of Griffin to his life. Reeves was also quite good, something I rarely say. Mostly I liked that he was willing to play a roll contrary to his usual image. He isn't given much to work with by the script but he makes do and crafts a fairly memorable character.

The interaction between these two is what makes the movie work. Spader's talks with his psychiatrist are adept at painting a better picture of him. Unfortunately Tomei's role is horribly underwritten leaving her little to do but get predictably in trouble.

The movie's biggest flaw is that despite its unusual depth of character it is married to the prototypical serial killer plot. Entirely too much of the movie is devoted to desperate searches by the police for potential victims (who are conveniently hard to find). Some of this is necessary to make the killings real but too much of it steals time from the character interactions that drive the story.

What it all boils down to is a formulaic story with flashes of excellent character development. This movie would have been better served by being a bit smaller. It needed less of the car chases and helicopters. How often do you hear that a movie would have been better if they had spent less money on it?

- John Shea