Whisper Movie
Storyline
TAGLINES
The devil's work is childs play
When the ten-year-old son, David, (Blake Woodruff) of a wealthy New England socialite is abducted, his kidnapper Max Harper (Josh Holloway) and his seedy associates assume it will be a routine kidnapping in exchange for a large ransom. Unknown to the kidnappers, the shy and reserved David actually has a hidden agenda of his own, and a mysterious way of tapping into the minds of others. Soon, Max will wish that he had never kidnapped David, much less even heard of him.
| Josh Holloway | Max Truemont |
| Blake Woodruff | David Sandborn |
| Joel Edgerton | Vince Delayo |
| Sarah Wayne Callies | Roxanne |
| Dulé Hill | Detective Miles |
| Teryl Rothery | Catherine Sandborn |
| Michael Rooker | Sydney Braverman |
| Connor Christopher Levins | Crying Boy |
| Cory Monteith | Punk |
| Robert Musnicki | Police officer |
| Brad Sihvon | Tow truck driver |
| Cainan Wiebe | Boy |
| Aidan Williamson | Hockey Boy |
| Elizabeth Bowen | Tired Mother |
| Erika-Shaye Gair | Jenny |
| Stewart Hendler |
6.00 out of 10 (496 votes)
Visitor Reviews
David thinks he's Damien, Danny and Kevin
posted on 07 Aug 2009This 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.
So so terror flick
posted on 10 Jul 2009In 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.
Kidnappers wearing white belts!
posted on 10 Jun 2009The 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!)
Surprising
posted on 31 May 2009WHISPER is a classy cross between THE STAND and THE OMEN, with touches of Dean Koontz throughout. Some lowlifes kidnap a young boy and spirit him off to a cabin deep in the Maine woods. Problem is, the kid isn't what he seems and pretty soon people are dying. The cinematography is terrific and moody, and a scary-looking wolf or dog-wolf at the boy's command adds to the suspense. For a TV movie, WHISPER comes across pretty well, even with its distinct lack of blood and gore. The closest to a name star appearing in this tidy little thriller is big-screen favorite Michael Rooker, but he is in and out of the movie pretty quickly. A scene halfway through, set on the ice of a nearby lake, appears to be a straightforward homage to a similar scene in THE OMEN. It is also the best scene in this TV movie.
Good movie! Could almost be a sequel to the 2006 Omen remake
posted on 19 Jan 2009I saw a trailer for this movie months before it's DVD release and remember reading stuff about it but not knowing all the details so I couldn't wait to see it.It would have been nice to have caught it in theater's for it's limited release.The original movie poster for "whisper" was nice, with a picture of a house behind trees and David sitting in the snow beside a dead and bloody crow with a caption "the devil's work is child's play".I really liked that original poster for the movie and hoped it would be the cover for the DVD as well.But instead we get a cheap looking cover with a new caption.For the DVD they should have gone with the alternate title "Hellion" instead which would be appropriate for this new cover art and the movie. As for the movie itself,I liked it and it was better then I thought it would be.It has good solid acting and an original idea.It would have made a great Omen sequel since Damien was orphaned at the end and he would have gone to another family anyway and raised hell! His name could have been changed after his adoption.....But Whisper is is a good movie on it's own.And after seeing it I understand the title of the movie.Before I watched it I had an idea about the plot.I knew a young boy was kidnapped and was held hostage by 4 kidnappers and unknown to them the boy wasn't as innocent as they thought.He had a way of tapping into their minds and turning them against one another.I anxiously wanted to see it to see how an 8 year old could outsmart them.I started thinking about another movie I saw called "hard candy" where a young conniving girl managed to use her mind to turn against the pedophile she was stalking. Well after watching it I realized they were 2 completely different movies and that "Whisper" was more like the Omen and that David was actually something from Hell.Well indeed he did get even with the ones that kidnapped him and hatched a diabolical plan to carefully destroy them one by one! I think one of the reasons this movie works is because of the evil background music and seriousness of it rather than being b-rated or movie of the week like.Blake Woodruff did a very good and convincing portrayal of this not so innocent boy. The one problem I had was the beginning seemed rushed and there was a very quick line about David's father dying and him being adopted and all of his nannies dying mysteriously.This was quite confusing because it doesn't really explain where he came from and how he became what he was.At least in the Omen there is a back story and Damien had an origin, but with David it's a mystery.I think this could have been explored better.And after seeing the alternate ending,I have to say I prefer it better because you can't kill that type of evil.How can an ordinary guy like Max(Josh Holloway)defeat David's powers so easily where his associates couldn't! Whoever decided on the ending was wrong.The alternate ending is more satisfying and just fits better with the whole story.And another thing to,those extended scenes were better and more detailed & the first 2 deleted scenes should have stayed in the movie also for continuity and to make things a little less confusing.It is a shame that there isn't an option on a DVD to add the extended & deleted scenes back into the movie,and pick the ending you prefer.I really like this movie but felt nothing should have been cut out,and the alternate ending should have been used!
The First Truly Perfect Film
posted on 01 Jan 2009I think it is superb that Hollywood is now filming movies that deals with the emotions of KIDS, and how much KIDS can truly hate. I believe WHISPER isn't really about the KIDS emotions, but more on how much the KIDNAP'D kid HATES. It is very obvious how much this kids hates his captors and it shows when he slowly starts picking them apart one by one, in great suspense and in a very evil, freaky way. Also, i think the boy playing David is equally SUPERB after coming off such an childish Film background in 'Cheaper by the dozen 1&2' to such an suspense, freakish, scary and very evil atmosphere. 10 out of 10 - SUPERB in every way MUST SEE Edgey - andicapd@live.com.au
Blake Woodruff comes out in this movie.
posted on 22 Dec 2008Blake Woodruff who plays David stole this movie from the rest of the cast. When I was watching Cheaper By The Dozen 1 & 2 I said many times that Blake Woodruff who played Mike Baker in that movie was great but unfortunately he had bairly any airtime. The great news this is his first acctual film for me.Wow he's still cute and outstanding to boot. This movie was crazy. At first I was kind of scratching my head and hoping what will happen did happen but on the second round I just enjoyed myself. The emotions David made where just outstanding. OK im going to give one away so SPOILERS beware. The part where the guy is telling David a story in bed and David says you say it so much you want to believe it. The guy was surprised and he says I know your going to have a heart-attack. Wow that was creepy and great.Unfortunately Hollywood though a movie with a killer kid was just saying well how are we going to put this in theathers when there is no big movie actors. This is better then most horror movies out there.
Lame, lame, lame
posted on 14 Dec 2008At the start of the movie, the idea seemed good enough, but as it develops, is just a boring story of an evil child that, when kidnapped by a very nice group of people (who just wants to get some desperate money to get a straight life and don't hurt the little child...blah blah), starts practicing his ''art of doom'' with voices inside their heads and a few spooks leading them to get killed. Sounds familiar?!... I rate it 3/10 for some good acting, but that's it. The story is absolutely predictable and done like 1000 times before, the plot is boring and lame as hell, the subplots for each character are so boring, depressive, and badly explored,that i don't think any actor could do any better with such bad material to work on, the dialogues are lame and foolish, etc. I couldn't see any essence on this movie, is just another empty hole in movie making. My advice is, if u'r interested on the ''anti-christ kid'' stories, there's a bunch of movies out there with the same basics, and quite more watchable.
Great Film!
posted on 30 Nov 2008I first came across this film randomly (saw the trailer on Youtube) and thought it looked good, so I decided to order the DVD. And boy am I glad I did! Whisper was a very well put together film with great performances from all the actors. Josh Holloway (Lost) and Sarah Wayne Callies (Prison Break) put in really good performances as 2 of the kidnappers, but I think the most praise has to be given to Blake Woodruff, the young boy who played David. To be able to pull off a role like that as convincingly as he did at such a young age (I believe Blake was 11 when filming took place, even though he was only 8 in the film) requires a special talent and I believe this kid has it! Look out for him in the future.I won't spoil the plot totally, but what I will say is this: See this film! You won't regret it! The ONLY gripe I have is that I would have preferred the alternate ending being used. That also seems to be the general consensous of people i've spoken to who have seen it too. The ending that was used didn't flow as much with the plot than the alternate (I won't reveal why), but you'll find out if you watch it. So watch it! 10 outta 10. And one of my favourite films!
Better Than I Had Expected
posted on 20 Nov 2008Cross THE OMEN with THE SHINING and add a great dollop of "The Ransom of Red Chief", and you get WHISPER, a slick, "better than I had expected", horror flick. The cinematography is beautiful and the direction fluid and sure. The acting is good with a standout, scene stealing, turn by Joel Edgerton, someone I had never heard of before, but whose films I will now seek out. There are lots of wolves with glowing eyes, the usual "jump out at you" scenes,"and a really creepy child actor, and even with an overlong screenplay, somehow the whole project comes together nicely. (I guessed who the main kidnapper was pretty quick, but the reveal still held a couple of good shocks.) Look, DOCTOR ZHIVAGO it ain't, but for a fun night around a bowl of popcorn you could do worse. 7 out of 10!
Watch it or you'll regret it forever
posted on 21 Oct 2008This film is what the Omen should have been. It is quite simply breathtaking.It contains elements of "The Ring" and both version of "The Omen" but takes the genre to a whole new level.Also it is one of the few films I have seen where there are no 'Good' or 'Bad' characters there are just shades of grey. This to me is what sets it apart from just about any other film I have seen recently. Whilst rationality tells your sympathies to lie with the child, another part of you feels sorry for two of the kidnappers I guess you could say this is what happens when Bad meets Evil.Watch it or you'll regret it forever.
Good enough not to be a "bed-time" movie.
posted on 17 Sep 2008If 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).
A nice surprise
posted on 12 Aug 2008In the horror genre,the sub-genus about evil children is not as popular as the slasher or the films about haunted houses,but,usually,it falls on clichés.Also,we have to add that,usually,we see a young actor who does not produce fear so,almost all the times,the result is a crap.But Whisper does not have that things because it is fun and it generates suspense thanks to its ingenious premise.Director Stewart Hendler shows us the story in a credible way and the movie produces more suspense than horror.I also appreciated the film does not have the MTV camera tricks.Josh Holloway has enough charisma in his leading role.The young actor Blake Woodruff makes a pretty fine performance.The complaining I have against this movie is that the film lacks of blood which would have made more credible the various deaths the movie shows.Whisper is not a great horror movie but it could keep me very entertained and tense.A nice surprise.
Updated Version of a Classic Thriller!
posted on 29 Jul 2008The 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.
Slow and contrived nonsense...
posted on 04 May 2008"Whisper" began on an interesting note, but began to lose it's "spark" about halfway through when it hit me like a ton of bricks that it was simply a compilation of purloined concepts from numerous other horror films - namely "The Omen". An ex-con and his girlfriend join up with a pair of criminals to kidnap a lawyer's 8 year-old son and hold him for ransom. They take the kid to some empty campgrounds where they plan to wait out their crime. The kid, however, unleashes some kind of telepathic power on them, playing mind-games and causing "accidents". Soon, his captors become the captive since his evil and limitless abilities hold no bounds... This movie contains a familiar and tediously subdued plot with the overly sensitive bad guys, the articulate kid with mind-powers, and a completely predictable "twist" ending. There's more plot holes than there are fish in the sea, the characters are all irritating, especially the kid, and there is not an original FRAME in the entire film. I detected hints of "The Shining" (snowy area and even a man-chases-boy-with-axe scenario) and, as mentioned, "The Omen" - with a scene even stolen straight from "The Omen 2" involving a frozen lake. Avoid "Whisper" at all costs...
The Evil Soul Collector
posted on 03 Jan 2008After being released from prison, Max (Josh Holloway) and his fiancée Roxanne (Sarah Wayne Callies) wish to have a fresh restart of their lives running a small dining of their own. However, the bank refuses to loan US$ 50,000.00 to them and without alternatives, Max accepts the invitation of his former partner Sydney (Michael Rooker) and his associate Vince (Joel Edgerton) to participate in the kidnapping of the eight year old David (Blake Woodruff), the son of a wealthy woman in New England, under the command of a mysterious leader. The quartet drives with the boy to a camping area in Maine, closed in the cold winter, where they are individually disturbed by whispers that affects their behaviors until Max discloses the dark secret about David and his mother."Whisper" is a very effective horror movie that scares without explicit violence or gore. The association of the fallen angel David and the Antichrist Damien from "The Omen" is quite immediate, but the creepy story is engaging and developed in a suitable pace. The young actor Blake Woodruff has a top-notch performance in the role of the evil soul collector and the acting and direction are solid. The twist with the identity of the leader of the kidnappers is a great unpredictable plot point. My vote is seven.Title (Brazil): "Reféns do Mal" ("Hostages of the Evil")
Change
posted on 20 Dec 2007This film was something else for a change. I must agree with the previous commentator that this film contained no bad or good characters. The play was very intense and was refreshingly something new. I could not tell every moment what would happen and to be honest this film lied very near to a book i just read called the Inner phantom. With in every an each person there is something bad, or something that he or she hides. Every and each person has a dark side she or he fears. He has it in him, and sometimes it can get out. And by others it is stronger they kill. Others it sleeps and sometimes it awakes and they cheat on her / his boy / girlfriend or lie.. This film is very near this conception and i must say i was thrilled to the last moment. Watch this film if you want to see something good and else for a change...
Solid movie
posted on 08 Dec 2007Saw this yesterday, knew absolutely nothing about it beforehand so no preconceptions. Also I have never watched either Lost or Prison Break so hadn't a clue who the leads were, and I must say that I was pleasantly surprised by it.Solid acting, (the kid doesn't come across as a precocious brat, and the leads don't do too much chewing of scenery) a good story that is well paced, and despite the obvious Omen parallels, it was pretty original all the same. I was a bit surprised to see that it never really got a break at the box office, it deserves better.It also reminded me of another film that I caught a few years ago, again I knew nothing about it beforehand and it turned out to be pretty good, the pic was Frailty (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0264616/,) which I'd recommend to anyone who liked Whisper...
Premise
posted on 19 Sep 2007In 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.
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A movie which it's worth it
posted on 17 Aug 2009This 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.