User reviews

If you too like to watch a movie just for a bed-time story you know the kind - it can't be complete crap, because you won't get into the story in the first minutes, but can't be too good too, 'cause you won't fall asleep during the rest of it. Magic category. And not so numerous as it looks like. "Whisper" seemed to fit, but - surprise - it doesn't.

A quite good Ransom-Omen-Shining mix story provides actors some good dialogues to play and apart from few flaws it holds the level. Solid, creative directing (which could be even better if wasn't so "present", so "hey!-this-cut-was-a-director's-idea!") draws the tension properly. Convincing acting, without embarrassing moments (especially the kid earns respect) and very good dark music harmonized with cinematography in few mood-building panoramas (don't know why I remembered this) complete the work - WE HAVE A GOOD MOVIE HERE (and we can't sleep).

The cast is largely unknown at least to me but they do a superb and unforgettable job bringing this story to life about a kidnapping that goes horribly wrong from the first instant. The three kidnappers, two men and a woman who are somewhat a love triangle, kidnap an eight year old boy named David SAnborn but not just any eight year old boy. David acts bizarre, drawing disturbing images, whispering evil into their ears, and creating a sense of fear among his own kidnappers. The tragedy is what happens to the kidnappers who don't deserve their fate. David is like Damien from the Omen but we're not really sure if he is the angel or demon or son of the Devil but he does act like one. The film is a good thriller but leaves some flaws in it. I kind of liked the film overall.

When it comes to the characterisation of children, Hollywood doesn't really have much of a gray area: a kid can be either unbearably cute and sweet or, alternately, a supernatural Hitler. That's pretty much it. When you go for the second option (which I encourage), your movie pretty much stands or falls with the child's acting performance. I'm glad to say "Whisper" really hits a bulls-eye in that field, because Blake Woodruff is an intensely frightening kid who nails every scene he's in. He's almost as scary as Harvey Stephens from "The Omen", the movie "Whisper" so transparently tries to ape. In fact Woodruff is almost too good, because it's incredibly frustrating how nobody ever picks up on his evilness. You know that scene from every slasher ever where you're supposed to yell "don't go in there!" when a character's being stupid? "Whisper" gives you that feeling for pretty much its entire running time, and nobody listens here either. Doesn't change the fact that it's quite entertaining though, because the scares are very well-done (despite the overuse of dream sequences) and the finale gives you everything you could want from this kind of B-movie. Just don't expect anything really creative.

During the years it was idling on my watchlist, I hadn't at all looked further than the poster, rating and synopsis, being under impression it's an indie film, so it was surprising to hear the fanfare of Universal studios, and see Michael Rooker and Joel Edgerton popping up. "Whisper" is, at core, a tired old story of an antichrist ("fallen angel", in the words of this film) child that doesn't get told or updated as much lately, but back in 2007 "Whisper" had fun realizing the old tale with minor changes and effort for entertainment.

Max (Josh Holloway) is denied a loan for a food shop he wants to own and operate, cornered and feeling down he gets persuaded to realize a kidnapping & extortion scheme by his friends. Together with his wife Roxanne (Sarah Wayne Callies), friends Sidney (Michael Rooker) and Vince (Joel Edgerton), they do the deed and soon start to understand that David is no typical child... He's a Damien from "The Omen" with an attitude of a Kevin McCallister. Well casted as well, I've always thought it's especially hard to create a good antagonistic child character in horror, and anchor it with befitting performance. Thankfully, Blake Woodruff delivers enough, and it's a shame this was his last before last ("Victor Crowley") movie. Against Blake stands the band of criminals, from which Michael Rooker disappears way too fast for my satisfaction, Joel Edgerton is good as the mischievous and problematic adult, Sarah Wayne Callies gives a solid performance, just her character doesn't stand out with anything, and Josh Holloway, the main protagonist, is also okay. Sit back and enjoy the little malice slowly manipulating and, of course, eventually killing people. Other than that, participate in the struggles and melodrama of the kidnappers, none of which will come off as new or more exciting than usually. Pacing's just quick enough to not lower itself into tediousness. As for the technical and aesthetical choices behind "Whisper", it smells of the according cinematic traditions of the 2000's, and I don't mean it all that badly, production design, special effects and such are fine. A Hollywood straight-to-dvd horror, is what it feels like.

"Whisper" is a good choice when you have run out of those mischievous children horror flicks that you like, and a decent choice for a random evening horror movie. It'd even better in younger audiences, despite the R rating it's not overtly explicit. My rating: 6/10.

In this terror film, the most inept band of kidnappers in world history abducts the child from hell, an eight year old adopted boy from a very wealthy family in New England who's in fact the Antichrist or something. One by one, the kidnappers will pay for their deed. The film looks like an unauthorized knock off of The Omen, and while mildly entertaining, is hardly a great film. Made with a no name cast (except perhaps for Michael Rooker, who twenty years ago has a cult hit in Henry, Portrait of a serial killer) the good scenery from New England in winter and a good hand in the directing adds a little to this passable movie. Just don't take it too seriously.

It is one of those movies that look ordinary and start slow but catch up fast. I admit some of its plots look predictable but that is also the whole point. Human beings are all the same and all have similar weaknesses. I was particularly impressed with Josh Holloway's performance. He has talent and provided the right opportunity he can deliver. I can't say the same about Sarah Wayne Callies, she appeared to be struggling. It seemed a little light on horror for its story but otherwise gives a chilling experience nevertheless. And the ending was also good.

Overall a movie with character.

This was truly an awful film, towards the middle I was mostly laughing. The plot was infinitely stupid and, as it's been said in the message boards, the script was in desperate need of a thorough rewrite. The characters were not convincing at all in part because they were so oblivious to this kid behaving really strangely right from the beginning (He was never scared! How could they fail to notice that? He looked as if he was on a boring school trip). No one was surprised he could draw like some professional comic book artist or that locked doors didn't stop him.

There's something called "suspension of disbelief", well, with this film it's not a suspension you needed it's an obliteration. The direction and the actors were OK, nothing outstanding, nothing outrageous. I liked the bird's-eye view of the snowy landscapes (reminiscent of Shining, like a few other things) until they started to get overused.

Whisper was like a serious version of Home Alone where Kevin the funny kid was replaced with Damien the satanic kid (from The Omen). A stunt that could have been pulled on South Park but didn't need a movie of its own.

In the dead of winter, the kidnapping of a young boy results in fatal consequences in the supernatural thriller Whisper.

All Max Truemont (Josh Holloway, star of TV's smash hit Lost) wants is a chance to make a fresh start with his fiancée Roxanne...but a bank loan is not easy to get when you're a felon who's previously been convicted of manslaughter.

Max's last resort--and only remaining choice--is to team up with two shady associates hired by an absent mastermind to kidnap the son of one of the richest women in the state. After Max abducts the eight-year-old, he joins Roxanne and the fellow conspirators on an eerie, unsettling drive to their secluded winter hideout, an abandoned summer camp.

As they await ransom instructions, the group begins to turn on each other as past suspicions, betrayals and secrets inexplicably come into play. When the escalating events take a horrific turn, it soon becomes apparent to Max that the child may not be the innocent he first appeared to be.

It feels a little odd to put Whisper into the Horror movie genre. Everything not regarding the kidnapped boy, David, has this Thriller vibe to it. At times you can even call it a Psycho Thriller. But that is fine, because this way fans of connecting genres may find this movie interesting as well. Most outstanding acting in my opinion were those of Joel Edgerton and Josh Holloway, although I get the feeling that Holloway always has to reprise his role as "Sawyer" of the Lost series. Don't get me wrong, he does this great, but I bet there would be more potential in this actor which could be brought to the screen. Blake Woodruff in his role as David absolutely makes you think of movies of the Omen franchise and even though we are watching a child actor, he absoutely inhabits the role of an adult. There is nothing child-like on this character. Sometimes this can feel a little too polished and also the ending about who was behind the entire kidnapping job, is someting we have seen many times before. Just a little more creative writing would do this movie a big favour.

A bunch of guys desperate for money kidnap an 8-year old boy and ask a large ransom. They take the boy to a remote location, and soon things start going very wrong.

Man, this was a creepy tale of pure evil! There were so many interesting twists and reveals. Each character had a back story contributing to their fate. Blake Woodruff is well cast as the boy, David (clever choice of name in the context of the film).

While Sidney (Michael Rooker) and especially Vince (Joel Edgerton) prove to be bad guys, Max (Josh Holloway) and his fiancée, Roxanne (Sarah Wayne Callies) are in the dire situation for very different reasons, and we root for them. Being pregnant, her motherly instincts are evident when she starts caring about David.

The film dishes up a number of very effective jump scares, and the wolves are terrifying in their own right. This is a diabolical film that will resonate with you even after the credits.

Would I watch it again? Yes.

The story for WHISPER: kidnappers get more than what they bargain for when they kidnap a kid with psychic/supernatural powers.

At the isolated cabin where the kidnappers are hiding him, the evil boy plays with their minds and they start dying one by one.

That's it.

It's pretty obvious the people involved with this film do not know anything about horror films. The kidnappers are, in my book, scum because kidnapping is not cool at all. IMO, these kidnappers deserve to die. So when the Damien-like child started toying with these criminals, I wasn't terrified or on the edge of my seat. I couldn't care less about what was going to happen to them because, well, they're scum. So, where's the horror element to the story? Exactly. This is NOT a horror film. You need to empathize with the characters' plight in order for the horror elements to work properly. This never happened in the whole super slick film.

The kidnappers were all good looking and young, so I guess that's how the director thought viewers would sympathize with these criminals. Oh no, don't kill that beautiful babe. Don't kill that Metrosexual guy with the white belt.

Yep, one of the kidnappers actually wears a white belt. How gruff. How much time did the wardrobe department spend on this unintentionally funny detail? Was it an inside joke? I couldn't concentrate on anything else other than the white belt when that character was terrorized on the frozen lake.

Okay, enough with the white belt.

Obviously influenced by Japanese horror films, WHISPER is more about mood and creating suspense than gore and violence. Think of this as a Japanese version of THE OMEN (there are two death scenes which are identical to those in DAMIEN: OMEN 2). But it even failed at that. As anemic as the story was (no one notices the massive painting in the room?; what are those wolves about anyway?), the main problem was the idea itself. The film could have worked if the writers actually knew something about horror or how to play with guilt vis a vis kidnapping and other human emotions but the drama fell flat. And because the horror never registered, WHISPER was doubly forgettable.

In the end, it's just one of the many boneheaded horror films made these days!

(Notice the big disparity in the Useful Comments compared to the other reviews. I guess the crew has been logging in and voting not useful! LOL!)

Maid In Manhatten is a charmer of a romantic comedy, made successful by its excellent cast. In lesser hands, actor-wise, this could have been a dud, but it's got such a talented troupe populating it that it comes out a winner on all fronts. Jennifer Lopez and Ralph Fiennes play the two lucky lovers, and as soon as one sees those two names attached to a title, one knows that we're in for something nice. Throw in Bob Hoskins, Stanley Tucci and the late Natasha Richardson and you've got yourself a stable full of actors who could be saddled with the worst script written and still be compelling. Thankfully they are given a wonderful little script here, and all own it. Lopez plays a maid at a swanky NYC hotel, and Fiennes is the carefree politician who drops in for a campaign stay. The two hit it off in a rumpus of accidentally mistaken identity, blossoming love from both sides of the tracks and the kind of slight, laid back charm that makes these flicks what they are. Lopez is a fierce and feminine presence in any film and I've always thought she should have focused primarily on acting, she's terrific at it. Fiennes is.. well he's superb in anything and the chemistry between the two isn't a pairing you'd expect, but works pretty well. Stanley Tucci could play a tree and still steal every moment, and is pure magic as Fiennes's harried assistant. Bob Hoskins is usually a pissy tornado, but seems incredibly reserved here, as the hotel's head butler who has a lesson of nobility and humility to teach Lopez. Natasha Richardson is the ditzy British blonde and plays it in pure 1960's mode, delightful and a reminder of the pure anguish that is still felt upon losing her presence in film. The film has just enough fluff and romance, and just enough solidly grounded writing to hold you through til the end, whilst Lopez and Fiennes, an unlikely pair, keep it real.

Long time before Whisper, there were the Omen series, Rosemary's Baby, The Exorcist and other movies with a mysterious child having supernatural powers, with strong references to occultism and religion. Here, the child (9-years-old boy David, splendidly performed by Blake Woodruff), has been "victimized" more as he is being kidnapped. The events coming then are catchy to follow, but they all end in a similar manner and are mixed with flashbacks and wolves. The cast is also nothing special, with the exception of Woodruff and Joel Edgerton as Vince Delayo.

Well, the movie is okay to watch, and about 1h 20 minutes only, but as for similar plots, I still prefer movies where a child punishes evil (people) using his/her own wit and skills - as in Home Alone series, for example.

To be honest, I'm too sure what to make of this film.

Acting, footage, story... all were OK, can't point my finger on anything specifically wrong, but neither on anything great. Nothing innovating or breathtaking, yet nothing bluntly disappointing.

The kid is creepy, true. However, he's not creepy in any way we haven't seen before in the classic "creepy children" films like Children of the Corn and such. Also, it felt to me like there were some continuity holes in the story. Nothing visual (therefore nothing too blunt), but rather story-wise. All through the film the kid is presented as this diabolic creature with supernatural powers. Then how come the movie ended the way it did?

Again, I can't say there was anything particularly wrong with this film, but there was nothing about it that would make it memorable. I'd say its worth watching if you come across it, but not worth going to trouble for.

This is a movie that you start to see it like a movie at Friday night, maybe even a cheap horror, but in conclusion it's established to be a good movie, not a cheap horror as you think at beginning. It prove to worth all the time you've spend to watch it. The good acting of Josh Holloway (known as Sawyer from Lost), Sarah Wayne Callies (known as Dr. Sara Tancredi from Prison Break) and the talented child Blake Woodruff, is make you feel good with this movie, only in case when you want to see a good thriller-horror movie. It has an interesting subject with a very well constructive story, almost like The Omen (2006), only better, and you'll discover that this movie doesn't have good or bad characters, only good or bad choices and strength of choose. Enjoy this movie! It's worth all the money.

This was an effectivly made film. Whisper might be in the same sort of vein as the omen, but its different enough to keep it interesting. So this young boy called davids babysitter dies afrer being chased by some wolves into an oncoming car. Its also the day of the childs birthday and his mother has hired a santa clause for some reason, but max is really there to kidnap david for ransom money. There are two other people involved in it. All great actors all around and each brough something to their roles but it becomes clear not long after that something is not right with david and he might pocess something no one would think. Overall an enjoyable and suspensfall horror thriller.

This movie had potential, mainly because of the 4 principal adult actors. All four of the so called kidnappers, were believable in their roles, and gave solid performances.

However, if a child is really the devil, then I need to be afraid of this child...and I wasn't. So, even though the script was fairly well written, and the adult actors played their parts to perfection, I was constantly thrown out (of my suspension of disbelief) by the bland, normal 8 year old boy, who was supposed to be the devil. His performance couldn't even be helped by the evil CGI facial expressions. If your looking for a good horror/thriller, there are definitely better choices. But if you've got a few hours to kill, and there's nothing else on, you could find worse movies.