This film provides plenty of non Matrix slow mo Keanu Reeves, combined with A LOT of dissolving transitions and deliberate unfocussed shots as well as shaky cam. Sadly by this stage of the late 90s early 00s the Cat & Mouse style thriller had been done far better- see Copy Cat or Kiss the Girls. Due to the behind the scenes drama linked to the film it is apparent that Reeves is phoning in his performance and it is very evident throughout. Ernie Hudson and Marisa Tomei are great as always but are given very little to do. James Spader is competent and - other than in their first meeting- his chemistry with Chris Ellis is great. In fact if the film took itself less seriously or was about a less serious topic then Chris Ellis' performance could have been outstanding. Lesson to learn from this film- Always cut a hostage free before chasing a villain.

This movie was so bad it was funny. if you’re looking for something serious to watch this isn’t it, on the other hand if your looking to laugh at a corny movie with bad cgi I’d say this is pretty good.

"The Watcher" offers a star-studded cast, with Keanu Reeves and James Spader leading the charge. While I'm a devout Keanu fan, this film left me scratching my head. The camerawork is a dizzying mess, making it hard to appreciate the excellent cast and their performances. James Spader is perfectly cast, but the decision to make Keanu the bad guy feels like a missed opportunity. Swap their roles, and the movie might have had some real intrigue. The flashback scenes are downright bizarre, and the thriller label falls flat – it lacks the tension and eeriness you'd expect. The plot, though decent, is marred by predictability. The director's choices, especially regarding camera work, are a letdown. The killings' motives are perplexingly weird, and aesthetically, it's a disaster. Despite some redeeming qualities in the plot and cast, "The Watcher" falls short of its potential, leaving me unthrilled and disappointed.

I remember liking this more the first time I saw this. It's not an awful movie. It has a fantastic cast with James Spader, Marisa Tomei and Keanu Reeves. Reeves plays a serial killer terrorizing Chicago and constantly one step ahead of the detective on his trail, Spader. Reeves is still kind of likeable even as a killer and some of the story is pretty implausible. Overall it's a fun but ridiculous thriller mostly because of the cast.

I was really disappointed in this. Unconvincing performances. The acting did not seem realistic. Plot poor and reminiscent of "The Shining". Unbelievable characters but not in a good way. Why did I waste some hours of my life watching this? Because I thought it might improve as it went along.................did not happen.....

Halfway through we knew it was going to end without any real explanation…was almost like the writers and filmmakers had the meat of the story down and were too lazy to bring it all together…based on true events or not, shouldve had some conclusions…woulda been better as a doccie I think.

I've heard two stories of how Keanu Reeves ended up in this movie. The first is that a friend forged his signature on the contract to be in this film and he did it rather than get involved in a lengthy legal battle. The second is that Reeves was playing hockey with director Joe Charbanic and verbally agreed to play a small role in the film in order for Charbanic to get the movie funded. The problem was that his role ended up being one of the leads. Regardless of the truth, Reeves was paid union scale for the movie while his co-stars like James Spader were paid at least a million. The actor reached an agreement with Universal Pictures in which he would not disclose what had happened until a year after the film's US release. In return, Universal agreed to downplay Reeves's involvement in marketing (he did no press) and asked the film's producers to give Reeves more profit participation. Since the movie was in first place for two weeks, he ended up making $2 million dollars. A year later, he told the Calgary Sun "I never found the script interesting, but a friend of mine forged my signature on the agreement. I couldn't prove he did and I didn't want to get sued, so I had no other choice but to do the film." So when critics -- like the aforementioned Guardian's Peter Bradshaw, who said, "Short of getting Angela Lansbury or Rodney Dangerfield or Lassie for the part, the miscasting could not be more complete. Keanu is profoundly wrong as a serial killer." -- hated this movie and Keanu was nominated at the Razzie awards for Worst Supporting Actor, he still honored the agreement. FBI Special Agent Joel Campbell (Spader) was too late to save a woman from a serial killer, so he leaves for Chicago, where he deals with migraines and has just one friend, his therapist Dr. Polly Beilman (Marisa Tomei). But when a girl dies in his building and the photos get mailed to him, obviously the killer has followed him. Despite FBI Special Agent Mike Ibby (Ernie Hudson) and Detective Hollis Mackie (Chris Ellis) asking him to come back, he wants to avoid the case. Then, David Allen Griffin (Reeves) sends him a photo of another girl and tells him that if he doesn't save her in nine hours, she'll die. He keeps repeating this game with the detective, telling him that he considers him a good friend. And when he takes Beilman, he really gets to Campbell. At least it has "Roads" by Portishead on the soundtrack.

La scelta fuori da ogni logica di offrire a Keanu Reeves un ruolo da psicopatico antagonista per lasciare il ruolo del "buono" ad un volto da villain come quello di James Spader caratterizza completamente il film. Sicuramente Reeves non riesce a creare un personaggio credibile, ma questo nel suo assurdo offre uno spunto originale ad un genere molto in voga nei primi anni 2000. La trama non sorprende e a tratti sembra quasi essere stata grottescamente tagliata; soprattutto nella narrazione degli stati d'animo del poliziotto protagonista. Sicuramente alla fine quel che resta è proprio il ruolo di Reeves, con la domanda senza risposta di cosa pensasse chi ha effettuato il casting.

Very homosexual I would've liked it if Campbell was also gay would've been so much better

Unconvincing and a lack depth to the characters made this little more than ‘a game of cat & mouse' with some questionable editing techniques mixed in and some serial killing thrown in.

Critics hated it, audiences hated it more and Keanu Reeves hated it more than any of them. Maybe that's why I have a warm spot in my heart for The Watcher. It's really not as bad as a lot of people say it is.

I loved Keanu Reeves as a sadistic killer and Spader is a great hero. Fun thriller.

The casting was off. The acting was very good.

Yes, it's a bit cheesy and predictable at times, but at least we get some excellent James Spader attitude and charm out of it. Don't expect too much. It's an entertaining little watch about a serial killer that becomes strangely attached to FBI agent played by Spader. (But who could blame him? ;)

Overall, The Watcher had the potential of being a solid thriller, but as a plot it lacked mystery and reasoning for what we see on screen. Our two leads provides an unsatisfactory performance with very little to enjoy or remember. Forgettable. - Finesse Movie Reviews

It was very good but very creepy

James Sparder and Keanu Reeves play cat and mouse as a tortured detective and a deranged stalker/serial killer in this inept suspense thriller. Reeves is almost laughable in his attempts to seem menacing and Spader comes off as more whiny than anything. They added Marisa Tomei in there as a psychiatrist for good measure. It may have worked better had Spader and Reeves switched roles but alas. There isn't much watching going on here either and no sense of foreboding dread or fearfulness. Absolute drivel.

Reeves does a lame job, kinda funny. Was engaging story however

That was a ridiculously nail-biting thriller, the ending was kind of like wtf, but it made sense. I would have preferred if there was an interview section. I really liked this film and I was very immersed into the plot. This is a solid epic thriller / suspense slasher murder mystery film.

It was okay, slow at first but finally pulled itself together at the end.