The Watcher – Looking Glass (2018)

Directed by: Tim Hunter | 104 minutes | thriller | Actors: Nicolas Cage, Robin Tunney, Marc Blucas, Ernie Lively, Jacque Gray, Kassia Conway, Bill Bolender, Barry Jay Minoff, Kimmy Jimenez, Jason K. Wixom, Sila Agavale, Rebecca Beckham, Pascoalina Dunham

In America ‘The Watcher’ has a different title, namely ‘Looking Glass’. The film also appeared in Dutch cinemas under this title. Now that the film has been released for the home market, ‘Looking Glass’ is suddenly called ‘The Watcher’. Why this name change was made remains a mystery. It is not the case that this is the worst film ever from Nicolas Cage’s oeuvre. On the contrary. Between the endless stream of mediocre productions in which this striking actor shows his face, this is a fine film. ‘The Watcher’ – or ‘Looking Glass’ – will of course not go down in the history books as a masterpiece, but the fact is that this is an entertaining B-movie. A film in which Cage even acts quite nicely!

‘The Watcher’ centers on Ray (Cage) and his wife Maggie (Robin Tunney). Eager to start over, this couple buys an old motel. The motel is in a desert. When Ray discovers a double-sided mirror at the hotel, he witnesses a gruesome murder. Ray finds himself in a deadly cat-and-mouse game and must do everything in his power to save his wife.

This film is a strange mixture of drama, thriller and murder mystery. That sounds like a special genre cocktail and it is. Director Tim Hunter has balls. Unfortunately, in addition to a special viewing experience, this also results in an unbalanced film. Ideal area for Cage, as he can unleash his entire acting palette on the world (read: subdued play in combination with Cage-nesque outbursts).

The biggest flaw of this film is the strange build-up. The film starts out as a dark relationship drama, after which it turns into a mysterious thriller, before getting bogged down in a meandering murder mystery. The cast is clearly having a hard time with it. For example, the introverted character that Tunney plays changes halfway into a kind of femme fatale. The soundtrack is also subject to change. What starts as a brooding score fades into the background halfway through and then reappears in the final.

‘The Watcher’ is unbalanced, weird and grotesque. And entertaining! Because this film jumps in all directions, the surprise is great. Cage is in good shape and so is Tunney. Great pastime for a rainy day.