Director: Brad Anderson.
Starring: Halle Berry, Abigail Breslin, Michael Eklund, Morris Chestnut, David Otunga, Michael Imperioli.
Running Time: 94 minutes.
Certificate: 15.
Synopsis: A 911 operator is called into action to save a young girl while having to listen to her being abducted. Jordan Turner (Halle Berry) consequently retires herself from operating, only to be called back into action when the same thing happens again six months later.
If teenagers want to see the outside world in the near future, they should make sure their parents steer clear of THE CALL, as Brad Anderson has created a bold, clever, and ultimately terrifying thriller, which often branches into horror. It is a simple story, and for the most part brilliantly executed, but in the final third things slightly fall apart.
For the most part, THE CALL creates a tense, sometimes terrifying atmosphere which will have audiences biting their fingernails to stubs as they will the LAPD to find the young Casey Welson (Abigail Breslin). However, towards the end, the characters – particularly Jordan herself – begin to fade towards horror movie staples. In the final third, you’ll be begging Halle Berry to call the police like any person with an ounce of sense would do, and the ending is very disappointing due to the sensible Jordan Turner delivering a cliché which will leave audiences groaning.
This is a shame, as THE CALL is an interesting combination of thriller and horror done extremely well for the majority of the film, with the section seeing Casey trapped in the boot of Michael Foster’s (Michael Eklund) car a truly brilliant, innovative and exciting moment of filmmaking. Berry, Breslin and Eklund drag the viewer in, with Eklund fantastically creepy to the point that many an audience member will watch through their fingers as the reasoning for his psychotic behaviour is revealed.
A film about the great lengths a person will go to after experiencing traumatic events, Jordan’s search for closure and loss of confidence in her job is beautifully acted by Berry. But, due to unfortunate plot choices and a questionable script in its latter third, it is prevented from being a flawlessly driven film. Twists come thick and fast and the suspense is nonstop as the film unfolds, but its nonsensical ending will only leave you disappointed.
THE CALL is released in UK cinemas on Friday 20th September.
