82. The Watcher
The Watcher tells the story of retired FBI Special Agent Joel Campbell. His retirement was forced as he failed to catch a serial killer who had killed his girlfriend at the time. He couldn't cope with the loss and the failure so he was forced out. He moves halfway across the country, going from Los Angeles to Chicago. He spends his days attending therapy and popping prescription drugs like candy. One night he returns from therapy to find that a girl in his apartment building has been killed by a killer with an M.O. shockingly similar to the one in LA. As it turns out, he followed Campbell to Chicago in order to rebuild the "rapport" he imagined them to have.
This is a decent thriller. The story isn't that original, what with the failed detective given another chance at making things right. The cast is good with James Spader and Keanu Reeves both playing against type. Spader is the spook while Reeves is the killer. Interesting twist since Spader is usually the sleazy guy with Reeves typically playing the good guy. Good support from Ernie Hudson and Marisa Tomei here as well. The soundtrack to this one is enjoyable too with a couple of Rob Zombie songs featured prominently and one of my favorites, 6 Underground by Sneaker Pimps.
An potentially interesting bit of trivia about this film is that Reeves didn't want to make it. There are a couple of conflicting stories about that fact. One finds Reeves agreeing to do it years prior to it actually filming. When the final script was given to him, he was dismayed to find that his part had essentially been re-written and had been given much more screen time. Also, the pay rate he'd agreed to wound up being considerably less than costars Spader and Tomei since Reeves' involvement helped boost the budget. The other story is that a friend of Reeves forged his signature on the contract. Rather than risk a lawsuit, he went through with filming.
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