Neighborhood Watch (2025) - A Loonie and a Fake Cop Solve a Crime, but It's Not a Comedy

I think Jeffrey Dean Morgan is underrated as an actor, and he picks some interesting roles. I saw a preview for this and it looked like a crime thriller where he has to deal with an unreliable, mentally-ill man as a witness. 

Well, it's not really a thriller, certainly not a drama. There are a few funny parts, but I would be reaching to call it a comedy. I guess it's a buddy movie with heart. Yeah, let's go with that.

The plot is that Jack Quaid sees what he thinks is a woman getting abducted. The police think he's crazy, and he remembered his neighbor was a cop. Well, his neighbor is actually a retired, wanna-be cop/security guard (Morgan). Morgan's character is clearly bored out of his head and decides to help the kid. 

Was Quaid seeing things? Was there a conspiracy? We follow these two as they haphazardly follow clues to reality. Along the way, Morgan starts to warm up to Quaid, and they begin to understand each other. 

It's a small, character-driven film all the way. Jack does a great job trying to keep his crap together without snapping, and Morgan's character has some hidden depth. You wonder if they will ever reveal why he wears a wedding ring, why he clearly was capable enough of being a real detective but ended up in college security. It is never revealed, but at the end, there are some subtle hints that he finally got some absolution over those mysteries.

A random stranger's opinion - Not your normal movie by any means and certainly not easy to categorize. However, if you go in with an open mind you will find an interesting film that moves briskly and keeps you intrigued.

Grade: B