What do you get when you put Adam Scott, Robert De Niro, Michelle Monaghan and Michael Keaton in a straight-to-streaming movie together? Plenty of highs but just as many lows!
Netflix have released The Whisper Man (based on a novel of the same name) just in time for a haunting pre-Halloween tale with Adam Scott playing Tom, a distressed dad. We join Tom and his son Jake as they arrive in a somewhat new town and are quickly thrust straight into the mystery that this place has to offer. Young Jake is just the latest little boy to go missing and his disappearance sees Tom reunite with father Pete (De Niro) and cross paths with Detective Beck (Monaghan).
In recent years, Scott has made a foray into the world of horror and has done so to varying levels of success. Damian McCarthy’s Hokum was particularly well received earlier in 2026 whereas The Monkey, directed by Osgood Perkins, was as divisive as they come. As the lead of The Whisper Man, he is effectively asked to play two separate characters, first that of a distraught father but then also, he takes on the role of detective too.
There has always been a macabre fascination with horror and the desire to probe how far audiences can be pushed in the world of cinema. What starts out as a scarily uncomfortable storyline here quickly runs out of steam and then gets lost in the mire of an intersection of genres, not knowing in which direction to turn. Horror gives way to a crime thriller and then intentionally or not, some scenes even reek of a mediocre soap opera.
Working off of a source material can both help and hinder creatives and that seems to be the case here for director James Ashcroft and his team. They are grappling with what could be perfectly plausible and then what simply pushes the boat out too far. Consequentially, they’re left with something that feels far from original. For example, it could easily be labelled as a far more underwhelming Prisoners (dir. Denis Villeneuve).
On the topic of Prisoners and Scott is really able to display his acting chops when it comes to this character duality. In his best moments, he is reminiscent of Villeneuve’s struggling parent played by Hugh Jackman, who goes off the rails in a helpless nature despite his best efforts. Then, in the same breath, he takes on that slinking and subtle police officer, akin to Jake Gyllenhaal, which one can assume is inspired by Pete’s (De Niro) life as a retired member of the force. The longer you sit with it and the deeper that Ashcroft delves, the more intriguing an individual we see before us.
There is no doubting that De Niro is a legend of the big screen but as is the case with a few of his later-life performances, he’s not pulling up any trees in The Whispering Man. That being said, the tragedy in question brings Pete back into the life of Tom and vice-versa which bring about some really moving movements. The pair are reeling from and reckoning with their respective troubled pasts, not to mention the familial issues that they went through together in years gone by.
What is ultimately disappointing is that such a dark and murky tale manages to become notably dull from time to time. Our first sight of Keaton as imprisoned Frank Carter sets up a dramatic standoff between himself and Pete, the man who put him behind bars, with Detective Beck also along for the ride. Carter cuts a menacing figure and is able to get under the skin of those in his company but on the flipside, Pete and Beck might as well be in conversation with an old friend or their neighbour. The lack of bite is quite disappointing truth be told.
As The Whisper Man reaches its crescendo and we arrive at the grand finale, the web of truths and/or lies has been too tightly wound so that the unravelling is a car crash. In the logic presented, there are clear flaws and points of contention. This may diminish the intellectual side of things but using just your eyes, the audience will still be moved closer towards the edge of their seats as the cat finally sets the mouse in its sights.
The last of a few little twists packs quite an emotional punch even if, in hindsight, it should have been really obvious. We are reminded of the human lives, both young and old, who are being toyed with during this sickening endeavour. Tom learns a valuable lesson about parenthood and we can be safe in the knowledge that he will now be drawn even closer to Jake when all is said and done.
Whilst I wouldn’t whisper about this film, it’s not quite worth shouting about.
