The Watcher (I) (2000)

David Allen Griffin is a cool killer- time and time again, he chooses a female victim, studies her for weeks till he knows her routine to the smallest detail, makes meticulous preparations ... See full summary »

Director:

Joe Charbanic

Writers:

Darcy Meyers (story), David Elliot (story),

Stars:

James Spader, Marisa Tomei, Keanu Reeves

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
James Spader	...	Campbell
Marisa Tomei	...	Polly
Keanu Reeves	...	Griffin
Ernie Hudson	...	Ibby
Chris Ellis	...	Hollis
Robert Cicchini	...	Mitch
Yvonne Niami	...	Lisa
Jenny McShane	...	Diana (as Jennifer McShane)
Gina Alexander	...	Sharon
Rebekah Louise Smith	...	Ellie (as Rebakah Louise Smith)
Joseph Sikora	...	Skater (as Joe Sikora)
Jill Peterson	...	Jessica (as Jillian Peterson)
Michele DiMaso	...	Rachel (as Michelle Dimaso)
Andrew Rothenberg	...	Jack Fray
David Pasquesi	...	Norton

Storyline

David Allen Griffin is a cool killer- time and time again, he chooses a female victim, studies her for weeks till he knows her routine to the smallest detail, makes meticulous preparations using his forensic knowledge to gain entry when she's quite alone, subdues her and administers a long, torturous death. Joel Campbell got so frustrated by his failure to capture Griffin in LA that he quit the FBI, moved to Chicago and remains in psychiatric therapy, unable to function normally. Then he realizes, when opening his mail very late, that a new murder victim is Griffin's, and the killer send him pictures of her. Campbell reports this to the police, but is unwilling to join them in the search, suggesting Griffin is too slick and clever; yet he won't get out of it that easily...

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Plot Keywords:

serial killer | fbi | murder | therapy | tv set | 

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Taglines:

Don't go home alone.

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Genres:

Crime | Mystery | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence and language

Details

Official Sites:

The Official Site

Country:

USA

Language:

English Vietnamese

Release Date:

8 September 2000 (USA)

Also Known As:

Driven

Filming Locations:

Chicago, Illinois, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$33,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£470,787 (UK) (9 March 2001)

Gross:

ESP 244,682,968 (Spain) (29 June 2001)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Lewitt / Eberts Prouctions, Choi / Niami Prouctions, Driven Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

97 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Third-billed Keanu Reeves gave his verbal agreement to director Joe Charbanic several years before production started, after reading his original script. With his involvement, the filmakers were later able to attract a bigger cast and budget than originally envisioned, and Reeves' part (originally meant as little more than a cameo) was substantially rewritten to feature him more prominently. Reportedly Keanu Reeves, who would be paid scale while his costars James Spader and Marisa Tomei would get $1,000,000 paychecks tried to drop out of the film but eventually changed his mind (apparently influenced by the legal precedent of the Kim Basinger/Boxing Helena debacle). He eventually agreed to do the picture and abstain from bad mouthing it in interviews on the condition that his involvment in the film be downplayed in all promotional material for the film, including trailers.

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Goofs

Obvious stunt-double or stand-in for Griffin in over-the-shoulder running shots, revealed by his stiff wig.

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Quotes

Joel Campbell: It's never quite that easy. You go through the door, and they're never just sitting there waiting for you with a welcoming smile on their face. best you can do is hope they fuck up and do what you can to be there when they do.
Dr. Polly Beilman: And then blame yourself for the killings?
Joel Campbell: Oh, no. I blame the asshole who did them.

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Connections

Referenced in Bad Movie Beatdown: Half Past Dead 2 (2011)

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Soundtracks

"ROADS"
Written by Geoff Barrow, Beth Gibbons, Adrian Utley
Performed by Portishead
Courtesy of Go! Beat/London Records 90 Limited
Under license from Universal Music Enterprises

User Reviews

Not Predictable

Really enjoyed this movie. It is not in the least bit predictable, as so many thrillers seem to be. Fast paced & lots of action. Kept me on the edge of my seat the whole way through. Many threads are woven throughout and they tie up towards the end of the movie so that most of our questions are answered.

Casting is great. Spader, our hero, is far from perfect & his obsession with catching 'his' man has had a disasterous affect on his life. He is a complex character who is introducted to us in stages- as the story unravels so does his life.

Reeves surprises in his portrayal of a psycho serial killer. He plays this guy with an eerie realism that see him really well cast here. We hear so many poor reviews of this guy's acting but I can't figure it. He is really believable in this role and shows once again that he can take any character and 'become' him; whether it is Neo in the Matrix or the lovable Ted from Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure.

We enter the world of the serial killer & get to see his version of our reality. We follow the agent in a chase against time to stop the madness.

This movie is not run of mill. It is different & provocative. I highly recommend it.