Yesterday’s movie: The Watcher

Creepy Keanu Reeves (an odd thing to say, I know) is playing a game with sad and sick James Spader, a very nasty game, in The Watcher. See Reeves is a serial killer of pretty young (loner) women and Spader is the FBI Agent who was assigned to the case when it originated in LA. When things went too far in one instance, Spader went over the edge and moved to Chicago. Reuperating, barely, he sees psychiatrist Marisa Tomei and somehow continues to be employed by the agency even though he isn’t capable of working. Reeves, though, misses his ‘brother’ and moves to Chicago as well; he gets Spader involved by Fedexing him photos of the girls and finally by offering him a day to find the women before Reeves acts.

The first film directed by Joe Charbanic, The Watcher is full of stylish touches and has decent pacing. One of the weirder choices is that whenever the film shows us Reeves’ point of view, it does so through a grainy, frames-missing filter. Nice use of characterization, foreshadowing and visual cues. I would have liked a stronger plot, though, because we never get a real sense of why Spader fell apart. Still, a good flick for a cold winter night.