The Whisper Man

Play trailer

2:29

The Whisper Man

R

2026

1h 51m

Mystery & Thriller

Crime

Drama

Play Trailer

Watchlist

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."

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

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

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.

Go to Full Review

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.

Go to Full Review

Read all reviews

Trisha G

@RT87525166 23 hrs ago

The Whisper Man was a good watch. Crime thriller movie that catches your attention. The beginning was a bit slow but then picks right up. This movie reminded me of the movie called Prisoners thriller/crime 2013. The Whisper Man was worth the watch!

See more

Jack C

@RT53868153 1 day ago

An unoriginal concept, however better acted than most. Very little in terms of originality, however as a film seems to be well put together. Predictable and slow at times, despite which fairly enjoyable to watch.

See more

Vitalij B

@RT26087494 2 days ago

What a waste of time I rather watch 2013 prisoners two times in a row Feeling bad for De Niro and Keaton I hate when they portrait American detectives as incapable idiots who can be disarmed by a cup of tea Gtfo

See more

Hernan M

@RT23222723 4 days ago

When you think it can get worse, it does... big time. The movie wants to pack too much, and by trying, it turns itself into a mess that needs more than one unnecessary endings.

See more

Nick J

@jamdawg96 4 days ago

Boring boring boring

See more

Les N

@Vegas628 4 days ago

Has Robert De Niro got a good movie left in him?

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