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Written by: Ben Jacoby and Chase Palmer (screenplay by), Alex North (based on the novel by)
Directed by: James Ashcroft
Starring: Robert De Niro, Michelle Monaghan, Adam Scott, Hamish Linklater, Michael Keaton, Owen Teague
Rated: R
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Plot
A widowed crime writer looks to his estranged father, a retired police detective, for help after his eight-year-old son is abducted.
Verdict
Maybe the lack of depth is a result of editing the book into a feature film length. Focusing on one character could have helped develop emotional stakes. These characters are nothing more than tropes. They're purely functional. It's a generic thriller that throws in a supernatural element for an attempt at excitement. By that point I was already thoroughly disinterested. This never creates a satisfying atmosphere. We know how these characters are supposed to feel, but we never see it. We're given no reason to root for them past the premise. I would guess this is a faithful adaptation, but I'd bet there's a lot more story in the book. I'm guessing this captures the plot but not the feeling. With this cast I expected more.
Skip it.
Review
Based on Alex North's best selling novel released in 2019, it was the first book under his pen name as he transitioned to crime stories with a supernatural bent.
This begins with a search party seeking a missing boy. Detective Amanda Beck (Michelle Monaghan) finds a body, but it's someone else. Then we cut to Tom Kennedy (Adam Scott) and his son Jake moving to a new town. It seems this is a fresh start with references to Tom's wife being sick and having passed.
Initially I wondered if this was going to be some kind of split timeline with a non-linear narrative. Unfortunately what we get is nothing so exciting. This is a by the numbers crime thriller.
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| Robert De Niro, Adam Scott play Pete Willis, Tom Kennedy |
Amanda wonders if the body she found is related to the Whisper Killer. She visits retired detective Pete Willis (Robert De Niro), the lead investigator that captured the Whisper Killer. Pete states there is no way the body is linked which is nearly a dead giveaway it will be. It seemed likely that Tom's son Jake would be abducted. We have a killer that abducts children, and we've only seen one kid up to that point.
This gets strange quickly. Someone is reaching into the letter slot in the door of Tom's house. His son denies seeing it, and it seems like Tom might have imagined it. Then he finds someone apparently living in his basement. Next Tom's son goes missing and he calls his father to help. Guess what. Pete is Tom's father, though their relationship is non-existent. Pete was a great cop but a poor father.
I'm not usually one to notice such details, but half way in I'm not sure I saw a single frame that included more than one actor simultaneously. There are few establishing shots and conversations are always back and forth over the should shots. It makes scenes less dynamic and static.
Since the Whisper Killer only talks to Pete, Pete takes Amanda along for an interview. I expected more from the Killer. He's got the look, but he's underwhelming. The conversation doesn't yield, much but they track anyone that's visited the Whisper Killer. Meanwhile Tom, desperate to find his son, begins his own investigation with a shoddy lead that takes him to a dangerous neighborhood. Pete saves him, but how Pete finds him might be the biggest mystery of the movie.
With all of these characters, this lacks any emotional connection. We root for Tom because his son is missing, for Pete and Amanda to find the killer. We're rooting for their function in the story but not for the people. They're barely developed. Amanda only exists to provide Pete access to this new case. The plot leans on the inherent fear parents have of their kids being abducted. The movie itself never generates a mood to match. The lack of depth is likely a result of trying to fit the book into film format. To keep the plot intact, you excise the character development and internal monologue.
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| Robert De Niro, Michelle Monaghan play Pete Willis, Amanda Beck |
Tom's new house just happens to have a body in the basement related to the investigation. That's quite the coincidence, defying any reasonable expectation. Norman Collins (Hamish Linklater) is linked to the body. He's an over the top suspect with a fascination of serial killers. He collects artifacts from the crimes. He exists just to add intrigue to the plot and distract us from whomever is the real killer.
The pacing doesn't feel like detective work. The cops make logical deductions more than putting the pieces together. It's a lot of, this person visited the Whisper Killer, let's look into him. This would be stronger if it focused on and developed one of these characters. This has Michael Keaton, primed to deliver a memorable performance, and he gets nothing to do.
The conclusion throws in this supernatural element for no real reason. You could delete it, and it wouldn't change anything in this movie. If the movie was going to rely on it, that should have been introduced it sooner. The rot in the attic of Tom's house ends up being well placed, doing more for this case than anyone else. The conclusion is underwhelming. Then again, that describes the entire movie. The final scene isn't nearly the big shock the movie thinks it is.
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