Spading the Reeves and Reeving the Spader

Let's take a moment to appreciate James Spader. There's an actor who'll try just about anything but even in a pretty straight forward role he's good. 2000's The Watcher is a remarkably unremarkable film. Director Joe Carbanic, who has no Wikipedia entry, directed this theatrical release with effects and editing that say "made for TV". Alongside Spader, it stars Marisa Tomei post-My Cousin Vinny and Keanu Reeves, post-Matrix. How and why? It turns out Carbonic forged Reeves' signature on the contract but Reeves preferred to go through with the film instead of engaging in a legal battle! I guess that goes to show how tough such lawsuits can be to prosecute.

I didn't hate the movie. It was kind of interesting seeing Spader in such a normal role, playing an obsessed former FBI agent with no apparent sexual fetishes beyond a scene where he glances casually at a Victoria's Secret catalogue.

Reeves plays against type as the serial killer who's introduced accompanied by Rob Zombie's "Dragula". Despite hard '90s alternative rock being his theme music, he just looks like Keanu Reeves in a nondescript leather jacket. I guess he's believable as a villain, as Reeves is ever believable at anything. More believable than he is as a Victorian real estate broker.

His victims are always friendless women who look like supermodels, who were apparently common enough at the time in Chicago for him to go on a spree. The second victim was the most implausible, a pretty brunette begging for change who approaches older men calling them "Dad" but apparently never has any takers, or even anyone who just stops to chat with her.

Mostly it's just nice watching Spader work. Tomei plays his psychiatrist. She broaches the idea that he and Reeves are linked by mutual obsession but kind of just by rote, like the director figured you had to make some mention of that in a movie like this, and never goes anywhere with it. She and Spader seem set up for romance but the film's flat footed there, too. All the same, I liked Spader's character with his messy apartment and bad habits which are vaguely implied to have caused him to collapse at one point for medical reasons undisclosed to the audience.