⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3

Can leads De Niro and Scott breathe life into this Alex North crime thriller on Netflix?

Robert De Niro is one of my favourite actors. I stumbled upon this new Netflix film by chance while searching for something to watch and decided to tune in purely because of De Niro and Adam Scott.

Despite these two known leads, it is obvious this is more TV territory than a cinema release. The story follows a copycat killer who is kidnapping and murdering young boys. The pacing is okay, but it is all a bit familiar and not particularly original. Based on the novel by Alex North, this crime thriller is watchable mainly due to its two stars. While De Niro is a steady and typical De Nero presence, Scott’s performance is a little more hit-and-miss, featuring elements where he shines alongside other parts that are less convincing.  

It is enjoyable enough to watch, dark, and moody, but without De Niro and Scott, I doubt the movie would gain much attention. For those who subscribe to Netflix, it is an okay watch, though you should not expect to be blown away by this film that simply plods along in paint-by-numbers territory.  The music score is also very uneventful and lacks any real contribution beyond sound effects.

This film is just shy of two hours long and likely overlong. The ending leaves much to be desired and doesn’t offer any real excitement or plot twists beyond a few unexpected moments. A few short Michael Keating appearances are also insufficient to salvage this one.

⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3

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Trailer, synopsis and score below.

Based on Alex North’s bestselling novel, Netflix’s crime thriller The Whisper Man follows a recently widowed novelist, Tom Kennedy (Adam Scott), and his young son, Jake, as they move to a quiet town just as a chilling new child abduction mirrors the signature crimes of an infamous imprisoned serial killer known as the “Whisper Man”. When Jake is suddenly kidnapped by a copycat, Tom is forced to team up with his estranged father, Pete (Robert De Niro)—the retired detective who originally captured the original killer decades prior—leading the generational pair into a dark web of family trauma, buried local secrets, and a desperate race against time to save the boy.

Online synopsis 

Film Rating

Music/Sound

2 out of 5

Story/plot

3 out of 5

Acting/Performances

3.5 out of 5

Overall

3 out of 5

Certification: 15
Running time: 113 minutes
Screening type: 2D