The Watcher

"Don't go home alone."

Sep 8 2000 R 1h 37m
Crime, Drama, Mystery

FBI agent Joel Campbell, burnt-out and shell-shocked after years spent chasing serial killers, flees L.A. to begin a new life for himself in Chicago. But five months later, Joel's best laid plans are abruptly cut short when his new hometown becomes the setting for some particularly gruesome murders--murders that could only have been committed by one man: David Allen Griffin. One of Joel's most elusive and cunning nemeses, Griffin has followed his former pursuer to Chicago in order to play a sadistic game of cat and mouse. Taunting Joel with photographs of his intended victims and leaving his crime scenes meticulously free of clues in order to keep the police at bay, Griffin derives as much pleasure out of watching Joel react to every movement as watching his victims die. But when Griffin moves into Joel's inner circle, Joel must quickly find some way to stop him before someone close to him becomes the next one to die.

Plot

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 Los Angeles, 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 sent 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.

Written by

Darcy Meyers, David Elliot, Clay Ayers

Directed by

Joe Charbanic

Cast

James Spader, Keanu Reeves, Marisa Tomei

Crew

View crew

Production Countries

United States of America

Production Companies

Interlight, Driven Productions, Choi / Niami Productions, Lewitt / Eberts Productions, Universal Pictures

Languages

English

Awards

3 nominations total

Trailers
The Watcher - Trailer
"The Watcher (2000)" Theatrical Trailer
Scores
# of Votes
29,525
Average Rating
5.3 out of 10
Metascore
22
Popularity
NA