A One Mann’s Movies review of “The Whisper Man”. (2026, 2*, 15).
The Whisper Man of the title refers to a child-serial killer who whispers to children through their bedroom windows – yes, I agree, sounds like a recipe for immediate capture and jail in these days of cheap security cameras. But this new thriller on Netflix, although set in the modern day (actually a few weeks in the future, from a newspaper date shown!) feels like it comes from the mid-90’s. I almost expected Morgan Freeman to appear as a well-worn detective.
One Mann’s Movies Rating:
Plot:
Tom Kennedy (Adam Scott) and his son Jake (Acston Luca Porto) returns to his wife’s home town of Featherbank after her death. The town was the scene of a series of child abductions and murders by the notorious ‘Whisper Man’ 15 years ago, who was caught and imprisoned by Peter Willis (Robert De Niro). But now, the abductions and murders are back. When Jake disappears a desperate Tom, frustrated by the lack of progress of police investigator Amanda Beck (Michelle Monaghan), turns to Willis for help. An act he does highly reluctantly.
Certification:
UK: 15; US: R. (From the BBFC website: “Sexual violence references, suicide, language, threat, violence.”)
Talent:
Starring: Robert De Niro, Michelle Monaghan, Adam Scott, Acston Luca Porto, Michael Keaton, Owen Teague, Hamish Linklater.
Directed by: James Ashcroft.
Written by: Ben Jacoby & Chase Palmer. (Based on the novel by Alex North.)
Running Time: 1h 51m.
Review:
Positives:
- I generally like this sort of serial killer/detective drama and this was just about watchable as a rather bland vanilla flavourless version of that.
- The actor playing Frank Carter – the original Whisper Man – was a really nice surprise to me (which I won’t spoil here… you can find his name if you want to in the cast list above). Save to say that the two-way interactions between De Niro and this actor was the acting highpoint of the film for me.
Negatives:
- The screenplay is very clunky. There’s exposition at the beginning that feels like mansplaining. You know in a Jason Statham film like Mutiny when the camera’s gaze briefly falls on an axe and you just know that Statham is going to be embedding that axe in a bad guy before the end of the film? Well, this is another example where ANYTHING slightly out of the ordinary is sure to feature later in the film, such that you see ‘surprise’ twists in the film happening from miles away. Maybe this is comforting to some audiences, to be one step ahead? For me, I’m afraid this just invoked eye-rolling.
- There is a sort of supernatural ‘Sixth Sense’ element woven into the story, from Jake’s imagination, which feels like it is from a completely different film.
- Adam Scott does what he can with what he’s given. But I’m afraid I just didn’t get on board with his character or his relationship to De Niro’s Willis. Similarly the script – and hence Monaghan and De Niro’s detectives – take a very long time to recognise the ‘coincidence’ that the next kid taken is Jake.
- There is NO WAY that the final scene in the prison would have been allowed to take place. If one of the cast was seen to be arranging it and standing outside, it might have made more sense. But no. More eye-rolling from me.
Summary Thoughts:
Netflix seemed to slip this one out – a De Niro film! – with zero fanfare. Which probably says a lot about their view of it too.
This was an ‘ironing film’ for me. (No One Mann’s Movies Glossary required here: this was a film I put on while I did my mountain of ironing!) It passed the time. But that was it. It felt a lazy and clunky addition to the serial killer genre. Not one worth investing in, in my opinion, unless you are a De Niro fan.
Where to watch?
Trailer:
The trailer for the film is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZHRR-1CKYIQ.
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