"Then how is he killing again?" That's a good question. And another quip made in another vehicle about serial killers. Welcome to this year's The Whisper Man, a crime pic where the regular po-po don't give a rat's butt and private dicks can just come out of retirement like it ain't no thang but a chicken wing.
Anyway watching "Whisper" you realize it might just be a made-for-TV version of Silence of the Lambs that could be shown on cable anytime after 1 AM. Starring Robert De Niro, Adam Scott, and Michael Keaton, The Whisper Man literally borrows "Lambs" pseudo ending and then wants you to know that it did it too. Keaton (as Frank Carter) is Dr. Lector, De Niro (as Detective Pete Willis) is Jack Crawford, and Michelle Monaghan (as Amanda Beck) is well, Clarice Starling. "It places the lotion in the basket." Apparently so boss. Apparently so.
Made on a $50 mil budget (really??) with an unseasoned director in James Ashcroft (isn't that the lead singer of The Verve?), "Whisper" is a slow burn thriller with a few tense moments and some laughable ones too (watching 83-year-old De Niro beat someone up like in The Irishman was indeed laughable). Getting back to The Silence of the Lambs comparisons, uh The Whisper Man is almost like a wiki version of "Lambs", a "Lambs" lite rendition, and/or possibly a steaming pile of "Lambs" leftovers that seem wholly reheated. "I never thought it was gonna start again." Oh absotively boss. Ab...so...tively.
That's not to say "Whisper" is a total disaster because it's not. I mean helmer Ashcroft actually lends to a decent amount of pacing and continuity to the 114-minute proceedings. The problem is that there's a lack of suspense, a lack of apprehension, and weird performances to boot (Robert De Niro sleepwalks, Adam Scott overacts, and Michael Keaton seems to have a goofy stutter). I mean instead of watching something novel and/or fresh, The Whisper Man gashes its way into cinematic deja vu. It's 2026's Suspect Zero. "Hoarse whisper."
Written by Jesse Burleson
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