The Barber | Rotten Tomatoes

The Barber

R

2014

1 hr. 35 min.

Mystery & Thriller

List

20%

10 Reviews

Tomatometer

26%

250+ Ratings

Audience Score

A father's life is destroyed in pursuit of a killer while his son tries to unravel his father's obsession.

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Audience Member

So bullsh*t, Eugene would have easily beat the cops to the ground. It should have ended that he buried them both alive.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

01/23/23

Full Review

Audience Member

This isn't too bad if you have the patience. It's a bit slow to develop, and most of the actors are just so-so. But the ending is satisfying, and the Barber himself is well done by Scott Glenn. SPOILERS FOLLOW. Some of the professional reviews I have seen are just plain silly. Scott Glenn's character is not a split personality: Eugene van Wingerdt, the frail old barber, is a character the killer plays, just as Bruce Wayne is a mask worn by the Batman, or Superman is a role played by Clark Kent. Glenn does a lovely job of portraying the character, and really makes you doubt that he's Visser the killer for a moment... unfortunately the script hustles you right along into certainty, with a half-hearted attempt at sowing doubt a little later. The best moment, though, was when Visser does a little happy-dance for the joy of killing again. That cemented the character for me, and it was something that you'd miss if you weren't paying attention. The rest of the cast is just so-so, at best. Chris Coy's and Kristen Hager's performances are forgettable, and the script is a little wooden. It dips into "NOOOOOO!!!" once or twice too often. The movie is only an hour and a half, but it takes a bit too long to get to the nitty-gritty (at least for a modern horror fan). Nevertheless Glenn's performance is well worth watching, and the ending, that denies Visser any possibility of getting that ego-stroking attention that he craves, is very satisfying.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/19/23

Full Review

Audience Member

The barber is pretty much just your average low budget thriller. The best thing about the movie is Scott Glenn who gives a decent performance. Everything else that was pretty much by the numbers filled with clichés and dumb characters. It's not horrible and slightly better than your average direct DVD flick.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

01/28/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Interesting movie , not predictable ... good , not wonderfull !

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/21/23

Full Review

Audience Member

cool suspense thriller about a son of a cop who 20 years later after his father committed suicide because a killer was set free decides to revenge his death by becoming friends with the killer and beat him to his own game. but at what cost.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/11/23

Full Review

Frances H

Not a bad suspense thriller.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

05/21/16

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Basel Owies

Director

Scott Glenn

Eugene Van Wingerdt

Kristen Hager

Audrey

Stephen Tobolowsky

Chief Hardaway

Jessica Lu

Sandrine

Lydia Hearst

Actor

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Robert Abele

Los Angeles Times

"The Barber" is one of those did-he-or-didn't-he? thrillers that more readily asks another question, the answer to which is: Yes, they did ... make a seriously dumb movie.

Mar 26, 2015

Full Review

Dennis Harvey

Variety

An apparent serial-killer-wannabe tracks down his would-be mentor in this underwhelming thriller.

Mar 26, 2015

Full Review

Neil Genzlinger

New York Times

The film ... delivers its plot twists muddily and doesn't really distinguish itself from the countless other creepy-killer tales out there.

Mar 26, 2015

Full Review

Josh Goller

Spectrum Culture

There was the chance for a truly subversive take on the portrayal of serial killers here, but one that simply goes unexplored.

Rated: 2.5/5

Jul 20, 2019

Full Review

Oktay Ege Kozak

The Playlist

The acting and the direction shows enough promise to keep it from being buried alive, but it might not be the worst idea to put "The Barber" out of its misery and ignore it.

Rated: D

Mar 25, 2015

Full Review

Roger Moore

Tribune News Service

Well-cast, well-played, sharply cut...but it talks talks talks you to death in the third act

Rated: 2/4

Mar 25, 2015

Full Review

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Synopsis

A father's life is destroyed in pursuit of a killer while his son tries to unravel his father's obsession.

Director: Basel Owies
Executive Producer: Bob Bassett, William J. Immerman, Brian Pitt, Adam Rosenfelt, Bob Yari, Barbara Doyle
Screenwriter: Max Enscoe
Rating: R (Violence|Some Sexual Material|Language)
Genre: Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 5, 2016