The Watcher Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		1.0
Overall		3.5

The Watcher Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf October 8, 2014

Critically maligned and badmouthed by one of its stars, 2000’s “The Watcher” is not a film that’s used to a kind word. To be fair, it’s a mess of the movie, with choppy editing, misbegotten stylistics, and a story that covers the basics in cop psychology and procedural cinema. However, scrape away the obvious production problems and there’s a perfectly acceptable junk food thriller ready to be enjoyed, one doofy, borderline amateurish scene at a time.

Director Joe Charbanic is in way over his head with “The Watcher,” struggling to make a gritty Chicago serial killer thriller without a full understanding of visual might. The feature looks ridiculous at times (step-printing is his most annoying crutch) and Charbanic’s grasp on dramatic depth is more of a slo-mo fumble, trying desperately to keep tension alive in a cat-and-mouse effort where both animals would rather be anywhere else but in this movie.

Saving “The Watcher,” or at least making it palatable, is a ripping pace that keeps the feature filled with foot and car chases and charged moments of investigation, only really slowing in the laborious finale. There’s something endearing about James Spader’s performance as well, always committing completely to the screenplay with a crazed look and attention to character detail. He’s awfully fun to watch, giving the wrecked cop routine a nice boost of peculiarity. As for Keanu Reeves, “The Watcher” isn’t his finest hour. Hell, he’s barely in the movie, with an obvious double in a bad wig doing much of the action that doesn’t require a face. Committing to make the picture under legal duress, Reeves is only out to amuse himself.

The Watcher Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (1.85:1 aspect ratio) presentation carries a familiar flatness common to Universal catalog titles. Filtering is present to give the image some extra sharpness, losing the filmic potential of the viewing experience. Colors as passable, best with bold lighting sources such as street neon, but overall, hues lack punch, while skintones read a little too red at times. Black levels are problematic, losing delineation to solidification as evening encounters eat up much of the run time. No overt damage was detected.

The Watcher Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 5.1 DTS-HD MA sound mix treats the serial killer hunt with a satisfactory expanse, utilizing surrounds during city searches, offering the occasional directional effect to keep the mix interesting. Dialogue exchanges are secure with a few moments of strain (perhaps inherent to the original recording), and the group dynamic with screaming cops is maintained adequately. Soundtrack selections supply a boost in intensity, with Rob Zombie hits adding to an already active low-end that details helicopter fly-bys and explosions. Scoring is mild but effective, remaining supportive.

The Watcher Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• A Theatrical Trailer (2:13, SD) is included.

The Watcher Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"The Watcher" achieves what it sets out to do, but it's hopeless at times, fighting dim logic and poor filmmaking. The movie also doesn't seem to understand how gasoline works when exposed to fire. Still, as crudely constructed as it is, "The Watcher" is diverting and weird enough to pass the time relatively painlessly.