The Whisper Man

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2:29

The Whisper Man

R

2026

1h 51m

Mystery & Thriller

Crime

Drama

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Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

46%

Tomatometer

81 Reviews

37%

Popcornmeter

1,000+ Ratings

Based on the New York Times bestselling novel by Alex North. When his eight-year-old son is abducted, a widowed crime writer looks to his estranged father, a retired former police detective, for help, only to discover a connection with the decades-old case of a convicted serial killer known as "The Whisper Man."

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Critics Consensus

Assembling an impressive cast to go through the motions, The Whisper Man is reasonably creepy but could've stood to crank up the fresh ideas and genuine tension by a few more decibels.

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Danny Leigh

Financial Times

Sep 8, 2026

3/5

The Whisper Man is indeed a safe space for tropes... You may also wonder which is weirder: the long periods when Scott vanishes from the story, or the periods he doesn’t, miscast as a brooding drinker. Still, the plot rolls on efficiently enough.

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Ben Travis

Empire Magazine

Aug 31, 2026

3/5

A Netflix serial killer thriller that’s – whisper it! – actually pretty good, with a heavyweight cast that brings greater heft to solid if forgettable material.

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Katie Rife

Inverse

Aug 31, 2026

Saying that The Whisper Man is "better than it needs to be" would only reinforce the idea that it’s okay for Netflix movies to be disposable trash, but still: The effort is appreciated.

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Rachel Ho

Exclaim!

Sep 19, 2026

As expected, the best scenes are De Niro and Keaton's tête-à-têtes, which give the movie enough gravitas to warrant a watch.

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Keith Garlington

Keith & the Movies

Sep 16, 2026

2/5

Considering the mix of subject matter and genre, the movie should pack more of a punch. Instead it’s an overly familiar crime thriller that leaves us wishing for the richer and heavier movie it could have been.

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Matt Pais

MattPais.com

Sep 16, 2026

D+

Not the worst movie ever made, but bad and upsetting enough that I’d be pretty concerned if someone I knew really liked it.

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Green C

@Green242 9 hrs ago

C'mon critics, it's DeNiro, Keaton, Adam Scott, Owen Teague. Critics need to lighten up and quit being so darn critical.

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Daniela T

@Dannytorri 1 day ago

Such an amazing cast for a story that really didn’t do it for me. I was already struggling with the plot, but when the villain suddenly got superhero powers and started knocking everyone out of the way, that was kind of the final straw for me.

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Sheree B

@SBrea 1 day ago

The twisty twist at the end was such a let down. The movie made it completely obvious from scene two what the twist would be. I'm guessing this is one of those cases of 'the book was better'.

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Brent S

@RT85280215 2 days ago

Great cast. So good to see some masters at their craft. Good old fashioned movie. Despite what some of the other reviews said, it’s worth the watch for sure.

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Qtpy S

@RT63129196 2 days ago

Convoluted plot. Too dark - at least half the time, I strained to see what was happening on the screen. DeNiro stocking funds for his children and grandchildren. Waste of my time.

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Michael W

@mawilps 3 days ago

This crime movie was alright. Robert De Niro, Adam Scott, Michelle Monaghan, Michael Keaton, Owen Teague, Acston Luca Porto, Hamish Linklater, and the rest of the cast did a decent job in this movie. The plot of the movie was strange and tedious. It's just about finding a serial killer and rescuing a cops' grandson. If you haven't seen this movie yet, don't waste your time. It's not worth it.

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James Ashcroft

Director

Robert De Niro

Pete Willis

Michelle Monaghan

Amanda Beck

Adam Scott

Tom Kennedy

Michael Keaton

Frank Carter

Owen Teague

Francis Carter Jr.

The Whisper Man: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

Based on the New York Times bestselling novel by Alex North. When his eight-year-old son is abducted, a widowed crime writer looks to his estranged father, a retired former police detective, for help, only to discover a connection with the decades-old case of a convicted serial killer known as "The Whisper Man."

Director: James Ashcroft
Producer: Anthony Russo, Joe Russo
Screenwriter: Ben Jacoby
Distributor: Netflix
Production Co: AGBO, British Film Commission
Rating: R (Language|Disturbing Images|Brief Sexual References|Some Bloody Violence|Suicide)
Genre: Mystery & Thriller, Crime, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 28, 2026
Runtime: 1h 51m
Sound Mix: Dolby Atmos, Dolby Digital
Aspect Ratio: Digital 2.39:1

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