The Whisper Man

Play trailer

2:29

The Whisper Man

R

2026

1h 51m

Mystery & Thriller

Crime

Drama

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

45%

Tomatometer

83 Reviews

36%

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."

Watch on Netflix

Stream Now

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.

Read Critics Reviews

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.

Go to Full Review

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.

Go to Full Review

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.

Go to Full Review

Mini Anthikad-Chhibber

The Hindu

6 days ago

The A-list cast cannot save this psychological thriller from a predictable plot and characters who make inexplicable choices

Go to Full Review

Steve Murray

ArtsATL

Oct 15, 2026

If you like this sort of serial procedural and that cranky father-son dynamic, the Netflix film The Whisper Man looks like a no-brainer. And yeah, it’s definitely in search of a brain.

Go to Full Review

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.

Go to Full Review

Read all reviews

Nia S

@RT85398306 5 hrs ago

Good suspense. Good story line for the most part.

See more

xc B

@RT01960557 7 hrs ago

it's so boring. Isn't suspense movie? I don't even know this male lead what is useful? This director didn't plan it well.

See more

Marc L

@Mott_D_Hoople 10 hrs ago

The script is terrible. There is no real suspense. There's a point near the end when you'll see a way the hero could have immobilized tle villain—but he never does. This is amateur filmmaking and a complete waste of time. And despite watching this film from stgart to finish, the very end is baffling to me. The initial attraction was that I heard some of the movie was filmed in my hometown, and they mention the town in the film. But I wish I had read the reviews before watching it.

See more

Jess H

@JessHi 1 day ago

Just why??? This movie is a completely unnecessary contribution to the world.

See more

En P

@RT66026992 1 day ago

I want 2h of my life back! That was the most disappointing movie I've ever watched

See more

alala N

@alalaninha 2 days ago

I created an account on rotten tomatoes just so I could review how bad this movie was. OMG the acting is so bad, even De Niro looks uncomfortable making this movie. Can’t recommend it.

See more

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

POST RATING

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

2:29

Now Playing

View more videos

View more photos

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

Join The Newsletter

Join The Newsletter

Cookie Settings