Netflix's The Whisper Man, released on Friday, August 28, follows retired police detective Pete Willis (Robert De Niro) as he helps his estranged son Tom Kennedy (Adam Scott) find his kidnapped child Jake. A kidnapper and killer is replicating the horrific crimes of The Whisper Man, Frank Carter (Michael Keaton), whom Pete put behind bars 10 years ago, and so also seeks the murderer's help in cracking the case. Detective Amanda Beck (Michelle Monaghan) is officially leading the investigation and is determined to find the person responsible, with or without Pete's help.
While the Netflix adaptation mostly sticks to the plot of Alex North's 2019 best-selling novel, some differences and timelines have been altered.
The Whisper Man ending explained
Tom, Pete and Beck discover that the person taking on the role of the new Whisper Man is none other than the original Whisper Man's son, Francis Carter Jr (Owen Teague). Crime-obsessed Norman Collins (Hamish Linklater) shares that Carter informed him where the remains of his final victim were in exchange for his help in getting back in touch with someone from the outside world. They then work out that this person is Carter's son Francis, who is trying to earn his abusive father's love by replicating his crimes.
After realising this, they track Francis down to his psychologist's home, where the man has already been mutilated but, thankfully, Tom's son Jake is there too and, more importantly, the youngster is alive. Beck initially fights Francis and is viciously stabbed but continues to attack the serial killer to give Jake time to escape.
Jake isn't fast enough though, and Francis captures him once more until Pete arrives at the scene. Pete and Francis fight, but sadly this time the killer fatally stabs the retired detective and, knowing he's about to die, yells at Jake to run as he sacrifices his life to protect the boy. Francis is subsequently arrested.
Jake's mother and Frank Carter's final act
After some time has passed, Tom is seen looking through some old boxes where he stumbles across a picture of his late wife as a young girl. Throughout The Whisper Man, Jake has seen a girl in a blue jumper which looks very much like his mum in the photograph - so did Jake's mother appear to him as a ghost, or is she a figment of his imagination?
But the story wasn't quite over, as Frank Carter got his wish as his son was able to see him in prison, now behind bars himself. It wasn't what fans were expecting though, as within minutes the original Whisper Man covered his son's face with a shirt and strangled him to death, explaining the real disturbing reason he wanted to see Francis.
How is Netflix's The Whisper Man different to the book?
While Pete dies both in the book and the Netflix film, he is injured when Jake is initially taken, which happens closer to the end of the novel rather than in the beginning. So Pete isn't involved in the search for his grandson, and it is Tom who tracks down Francis and who is stabbed as he tries to rescue Jake.
Another shift in the timelines is that the discovery of Jake's mum being his imaginary friend happens before the youngster is kidnapped, rather than at the end in the Netflix film. In addition, Beck is not stabbed by Francis in the book; it is just Tom that is attacked. However, the moment when Frank murders his own son, arguably the most memorable part of The Whisper Man, remains at the very end of both the novel and the film.
Writer North has also addressed the fact that Netflix's creation is set in the northeastern United States rather than the UK, where his novel takes place. He said: “When I write everything I write, I don't really think about it being set anywhere in particular. I’m far more interested in just the characters and the relationship between the characters. It's a book about fathers and sons, so you hope that that’s fairly universal in some of the themes and the ideas that it touches upon.”
The Whisper Man is available to watch on Netflix.
