Two of the most common ways to establish a film’s world are either to introduce the setting and characters before the story unfolds or to drop the audience in the midst of events. Duncan Skiles’ Neighborhood Watch goes for the latter, plunging us into a particular episode in its characters’ lives, leaving their backstories for later. Now, does this approach work well for the film? Yes. Skiles crafts a fairly engaging story with no obvious loopholes. Is it enough? Not exactly.
The story starts with Simon McNally (Jack Quaid) returning to life after being hospitalised for 10 years. Simon suffers from severe mental illness stemming from childhood trauma, and does not trust his mind as it constantly bombards him with negative thoughts, disturbing visuals, and incoherent word salads. But when he witnesses a kidnapping, Simon becomes determined to find the missing girl, even as the world doubts him. By creating insurmountable odds for Simon, the film keeps the audience on edge.
Simon enlists the help of Ed Deerman (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), a former campus security guard and a gambling addict whose only reason to help is to feel useful again. With this unlikely pair, we are left wondering as to who is the straight man and who is the tramp. But that uncertainty also propels the story’s thrill.
Quaid does not venture far from his typical portrayal of anxious characters, but as Simon, he makes it unique. Simon is always on edge, reactive to the world’s unpredictability, and haunted by visions of his father that demean him and cause extreme physical distress. Quaid differentiates every moment, not only through expressions, but also through his body language.
Morgan, on the other hand, explores new terrain within familiar territory. He plays a tough guy, but we don’t see his iconic Negan from The Walking Dead here, but only the disgruntled Ed, a man past his prime, chasing highs he missed in life. Morgan leans into Ed’s stubbornness without undermining the character’s experience as a former guard.
Neighborhood Watch deftly uses sound design to make the experience more immersive. Silence plays a key role, particularly in scenes where Simon’s inner voices dominate, discomforting the audience. Such discomfort escalates when Simon’s father appears in recurring, jarring visuals. The film, in a tongue-in-cheek manner, features a lot of scenes of breaking into places. With two unpredictable characters, the uncertainty is already high, but the silence only pushes the audience to hold their breath.
Yet, despite these strengths, the film doesn’t do anything new. It treads familiar ground, but it remains an enjoyable thriller that never overburdens its audience.