by Scott Batchelor, Contributing Writer
I almost didn’t believe The Whisper Man was a real movie. The cast is made up of some of the biggest working actors today, including Adam Scott, Robert De Niro, Michelle Monaghan, and Michael Keaton. Surely, I would have seen this advertised at some point? Was this from years earlier, and I just missed it? But alas, it is indeed a new release at the tail end of summer, unceremoniously dumped onto Netflix with no fanfare, at least on my side of the algorithm.
Sadly, the only conclusion I could come to was that this was going to be a bad time and I was going to hate the movie. So, color me surprised when it turns out The Whisper Man is actually worth a Saturday afternoon viewing.
We begin by learning about the disappearance of a young boy named Neil. While searching for him, Detective Amanda Beck (Monaghan) finds a different boy, killed in a similar manner to the notorious serial killer and titular Whisper Man. The plot thickens when we learn that the Whisper Man was caught decades earlier and is now behind bars and this search-and-rescue turns into a body recovery. Tom (Scott) is moving to a new town with his son Jake (Acston Luca Porto) after the death of their wife and mother. Because in movies this is what you do when a parent passes: you upheave your lives and move away.
The story gets a bit wonky with the arrival of these characters. During their introduction, you can see just small snippets of a woman buckled up in the back seat. I kept waiting to be introduced to her or the camera to cut to her reaction, but it never happens. By the time the grieving family arrives at their new house, they don’t even mention her. We eventually learn that Jake has an imaginary friend he talks to, explaining the lack of character introduction.
This is not just a one-time thing, though. Throughout the movie we actually see these two interact, and for most of the film we are left to wonder if she is imaginary or if there are supernatural elements at play. Ultimately, it is never explained. This is the only real “supernatural” part of the movie, and I couldn’t help but wonder why it was included in this otherwise grounded detective thriller.
But I digress. Beck is trying to connect the disappearance of Neil to the Whisper Man (Keaton) and learns that the killer will only speak to the man who put him behind bars, retired detective Peter Willis (De Niro). Peter has been retired for 25 years and initially refuses to get involved, finally giving in when Jake, his estranged grandson, is abducted. Now with his family on the line, Peter finally decides to have his Hannibal Lecter moment and come face-to-face with the Whisper Man.
Keaton has what is more of a glorified cameo than a real role here, but he makes the most of it. In a movie that was barely advertised, I expected these legends to show up, say their lines, get paid and move on with their careers. But there is some real meat here. De Niro brings every bit of retired-cop energy he can muster. At this point, it’s old hat for him. Keaton makes some choices here to go full manic, and the film is better for it.
There are very clear parallels between the two characters, retired detective and muzzled killer, that you can really only pick up on when they are acting across from each other. It’s honestly a showstopping scene in a movie that only requires you to half pay attention in order to follow along. The logline might be the reason you hit play, but the acting is the reason you watch it all the way through.
The story itself is pretty by the books. There is nothing here that Criminal Minds or other serial-killer-centric stories haven’t told before. A lot of the story beats are predictable, and you have to suspend some pretty big disbelief at times. Why are we to believe that the grandson of the original detective is now being abducted by what seems to be a copycat who is targeting people almost completely at random?
On top of the weird story and character choices, the editing feels frazzled. There is a scene where two different sets of characters are investigating independently of each other, and the movie keeps cutting from one investigation to the other with no payoff for why it was shot that way. Is this the Netflix-ification thing people have been accusing Netflix of doing to keep our attention? Either way, it was jarring.
By the end, though, I was still able to get caught up in the action and feel the thrill and tension of a ramping-up detective story. It feels much more like a detective movie than a horror movie, so while it gives The Black Phone vibes, it is probably closer to Zodiac as far as content. The creepy stuff is more like a lemon wedge in a glass of water. It adds a little bit of flavor without becoming the drink itself. Even with some sloppy storytelling, the cast buys in and makes everything easier to digest. While The Whisper Man is not rewriting the genre, it is a “dad-fternoon” movie worth checking out.
Rating: Just Okay
The Whisper Man is currently available to stream on Netflix
You can read more from Scott Batchelor, and follow him on Letterboxd