James Ashcroft (Coming Home in the Dark, The Rule of Jenny Pen) directs this psychological crime thriller written by Ben Jacoby and Chaser Palmer based on British writer Steve Mosby’s 2019 novel written under the pseudonym Alex North. The story follows recently widowed novelist Tom Kennedy (Adam Scott), who with his young son, Jake (Acston Luca Porto), relocates to his dead wife’s hometown of Garretton just as Detective Amanda Beck (Michelle Monaghan) discovers the body of a young boy while searching for a different missing child. The M.O. appears similar to a 1990s serial killer named Frank Carter (Michael Keaton), who’s currently imprisoned. Soon the detective who originally caught Carter, Peter Willis (Robert De Niro), is drawn out of retirement. Willis happens to be the estranged father of Tom. (114 min.)
Glen If you’re hungry for a crime thriller, this might fit the bill. It’s got dreary, atmospheric cinematography by Peter Deming (Mulholland Drive, Twin Peaks). The cast is impressive, with Keaton clearly having fun as the imprisoned killer Frank Carter. Even though De Niro’s Peter Willis apprehended Carter decades ago, he’s still haunted by him because the case essentially destroyed his marriage and family. His son, Tom, doesn’t speak to him until—this shouldn’t be a spoiler—young Jake goes missing. Did Carter have an accomplice who’s started killing again? This is a mostly by-the-numbers thriller, but if you’re already paying for Netflix and have a couple of hours to spare, Keaton’s performance alone makes it worth your time.
THE WHISPER MAN
What’s it rated? R
What’s it worth, Anna? Stream it
What’s it worth, Glen? Stream it
Where’s it showing? Netflix
Anna The film has a moody feel, very in line with Ashcroft’s other works. Both Tom and Jake are struggling after the loss of their wife and mom, and moving to Garretton feels like a tribute to her. Jake is coping, as many kids do, with an imaginary friend he calls “the girl in the blue sweater,” and Tom’s patience with his son is wearing thin. Now there’s talk of a copycat killer, missing kids, and a locked-up murderer who’s happy to play games with detectives. You’re right about Keaton; he’s the powerhouse of the film. While De Niro, Scott, and Monaghan deliver too, Keaton’s sinister and measured portrayal of Carter steals the show. We watch as Tom’s mind starts to unravel, and after getting drunk one night, he yells at Jake about his imaginary friend, telling him to “grow up.” Soon Jake is another missing child, and Tom will do anything to find him—even calling up his estranged father. The film is nothing novel, but if you’ve got a hankering for a crime drama, this is worth pressing play.
Glen This is a film that’s certainly trying to engage its audience. It feels slightly supernatural (but isn’t), has a few jumpscares (that aren’t too scary), throws in a creepy nursery rhyme and urban myth-like boogeyman (“Ooh, the Whisper Man”), and stacks up a new round of dead children. The killer always covers his victim’s faces with a shirt, and the story tries to make sense of it at its implausible conclusion. The whole “talk to a killer to catch another killer” angle was done a lot better in The Silence of the Lambs (1991), and as good as Keaton is, his Frank Carter doesn’t hold a candle to Anthony Hopkins’ quietly menacing Dr. Hannibal Lecter—though of course that’s an unfair comparison! You also might audibly groan when you learn who the killer is and the “justice” he receives. Still, I’ve sat through worse films!
Anna Same. It ends in a bit of a whimper rather than a scream. Will I remember anything about it in two months? Probably not, but it kept me entertained. ∆
Arts Editor Glen Starkey and freelancer Anna Starkey write Split Screen. Comment at gstarkey@newtimesslo.com.
This article appears in Student Guide 2026.
