Watching the Detectives

Watching the Detectives centres on Neil, the owner of a small video store specialising in film noir and cult titles. He spends most of his time on his couch absorbing old movies and has little luck in his relationships with women. His routine changes when Violet walks into the shop. She is drawn to him, but her appetite for excitement and risky situations goes well beyond what he is used to, and as he is pulled into her world, the border between the films he loves and his own life becomes harder to keep in view.

The film was directed by Paul Soter, who also wrote the screenplay, and was produced by Galt Niederhoffer, Celine Rattray and Daniela Taplin Lundberg. Cillian Murphy plays Neil and Lucy Liu plays Violet, with Jason Sudeikis, Michael Panes, Heather Burns and Callie Thorne among a credited cast of twenty-eight. It was made for about two million dollars and runs ninety-four minutes.

Released in 2007, it is an American comedy with romantic elements. On IMDb it holds a rating of 6.2 from roughly 8,900 votes, while on TMDB it stands at 6.3 from about 200 votes. The two audience scores sit close together, indicating a modest but consistent response from viewers.