REVIEW: ‘The Whisper Man’ Is Lifted By Its All-Star Veteran Cast

To catch a serial killer, one needs a serial killer—at least The Whisper Man lives by that. New Zealand director James Ashcroft makes his big break with The Whisper Man, starring some big names: Robert De Niro, Michelle Monaghan, Adam Scott, and Michael Keaton. The screenplay by Ben Jacoby and Chase Palmer was adapted from Alex North’s (pen name for Steve Mosby) 2019 psychological thriller of the same name. The Russo Brothers produced this film, known for co-directing some of the best Marvel films.

The Whisper Man revolves around a widowed crime writer named Tom Kennedy who, after his 8-year-old son Jake Kennedy is abducted, looks to his estranged father named Pete Willis, a retired police detective, for help. He then discovers a connection between his son’s abduction and the decades-old case of a convicted serial killer known as The Whisper Man.

If Tom seems like the main character of The Whisper Man, guess again. Seeing De Niro opposite Keaton is a fresh on-screen matchup that works well, and their dialogue is truly sublime in setting the atmosphere. De Niro shows Pete is very analytical, versus Keaton’s Frank Carter, who’s capable of psychoanalyzing people based on vibes. Not only that, Frank is the number one rage-baiter when he eggs people on with his observations. It’s a timeless mystery-thriller trope of the good evidence-based cop versus the socially intelligent antagonist. 

While the film plays in familiar cat-and-mouse territory, its cast keeps us glued.

From the police side, Monaghan’s Detective Amanda Beck works well alongside Pete and Frank. The tone and character dynamics are somewhat similar to those of typical cat-and-mouse films. It’s a well-acted case of a locked-up serial killer trying to stir the seasoned detective by bullying the new detective. These three characters carry much of the film through their conversations, driving up right levels of tension and unease. 

Rightfully so, Scott, as the widowed father, leans into his acting strengths. Much of Scott’s best work comes out of the sci-fi thriller series Severance, where he also is a widowed man in Season 1. Something about Scott screams tortured soul. Is he being typecast? Maybe. Most of the interactions between Acston Luca Porto’s Jake and his father feel natural in The Whisper Man. 

There’s a classic school moment where Jake gets into a fight, and the teacher wants Jake to apologize to the bully, but Tom picks up on how that doesn’t make sense for the teacher to ask that. These small character details add realism, rather than the stereotypical dad who doesn’t listen to his kid or completely trusts the teacher’s argument. Essentially, it’s great to see a supportive father in film because fathers in horror/thriller flicks are hit or miss on the likeability scale.

Adam Scott leans into his acting strengths in The Whisper Man.

The main issue with Scott’s Tom is when Tom loses Jake and loses his mind about it. Tom becomes a Scooby-Doo civilian detective when he decides to chase down leads on his own. Understandably, a parent is always willing to do anything to keep their child safe, but there’s a limit to doing it all on their own.

One questionable writing choice when Jake almost gets abducted is that Tom sees The Whisper Man trying to grab Jake, but they only see a hand coming through the front door metal mail slot. Why does Tom open the door and look around for the abductor? It’s an overused thriller beat that could’ve simply been the two of them making sure every entry point in the house was locked, then cut to Tom adding more security the next day. 

For some reason, Tom starts off as a cool dad, but becomes a bit of a lame dad by the middle act. The saving grace is the climactic showdown at the end, which shows that Tom may be a wimpy guy in a fight with a serial killer, but he still has the brains of a writer. Essentially, Tom jumps far away from his character in the second act, making him seem like a hateable character. But has some redeeming qualities in time for the end credits. 

Despite best efforts, Tom’s arc isn’t wholly satisfying by the end of the film.

Potentially, Scott’s Tom sticks out like a sore thumb when even smaller supporting roles like Hamish Linklater’s Norman Collins are very captivating to watch. Linklater plays a rich, eccentric serial-killer enthusiast, which is wild as a character description alone. Watching Norman’s character development is fascinating and thrilling in The Whisper Man because he goes through a full character arc, with a satisfying ending that serves the overall plot. 

Tom’s character arc doesn’t feel equally satisfying at the end of the movie. That said, there’s some satisfaction when Tom comes to a realization that culminates throughout the film, but it all stems from neglecting to trust his son. The Whisper Man relies heavily on the grieving, struggling father role for Tom, which is fair—but could’ve had a bit more resilience. 

Ultimately, what makes this thriller worth the watch is seeing industry greats going head to head.

One of the coolest elements of The Whisper Man is how the film shows Jake’s imaginary friend across the whole movie. For the first two acts, the film seems like it’s going to blend true-crime thriller and supernatural horror. But it doesn’t, and that’s okay. But if this film wanted to go to the next level, that would’ve been a clever twist. In a way, the way the imaginary friend appears adds to the film’s psychological thriller elements.

It’s a relatively rare sight to see great actors like De Niro and Keaton act opposite one another, and it creates an eerie atmosphere. Seeing Keaton play more villainous roles, as he did in Spider-Man: Homecoming as Adrian Toomes, is captivating; Keaton as Frank in this film is even more unhinged. If there’s something to look forward to in this somewhat modern take on classic thriller films, it’s how well most of the actors play their roles in this mystery thriller. 

Netflix’s The Whisper Man is by no means a game-changing thriller, but is often carried by a riveting veteran cast more than anything.

The Whisper Man is now streaming, exclusively on Netflix.