The Call

Apologies in advance for the delay in posting this review.  I should have done so earlier. Would have managed to push at least a few of you to see a movie that I personally thought was well made and edge of the seat.  A good serial killer movie after quite a while.  Regretably out of the theatres already.  Look for the DVD if you can.

The Call is the story of Jordan Turner (Halle Berry) who is a 911 operator.  The one who picks up the call and says, “911 whats your emergency”.  Their jobs don’t remotely end with that famous one liner.  I cannot remember even one movie that shows the emotions and pressures that an operator goes through.

 

Think about it.  An operator can at best instruct the closest cop cars to come over to your place and help you out.  S/he has no clue as to what happened to the caller.  So, if it was a break in attempt, was the burglar caught? If it was a domestic violence case, was the concerned person arrested?

 

What if it was a kidnapping in progress and the victim manages to call 911 in time.  Leah Templeton (Evie Thompson) does exactly that and manages to get through to Jordan.  The line drops while Jordan is helping her maintain her composure.  To help, Jordan calls back.  But that actually gives Leah away.  The kidnapper comes back.  A day later, Leah’s body is found.  What would you do if you were Jordan?

 

Thanks to some counseling, Jordan is now back.  It has been 2 years and she is now a leading trainer for the 911 team.  As a bunch of new recruits are being trained, one of the operators receives a call from Casey Welson (Abigail Breslin) who has just been kidnapped and is in the trunk of a car.  When the operator is unable to handle the situation, Jordan steps in to help.

 

The Call presents a fabulous picture of the stresses, the trials and tribulations that a 911 operator goes through.  Halle Berry in the lead definitely helps a lot.  At times, however, she does go a bit overboard.  The outstanding performance would actually be that from Michael Eklund who plays the serial killer.

 

The Call is a compact movie that effectively swings from intense, scary scenes to absolute lulls and then back again to edge of the seat drama.  Brad Anderson (The Machinist) does very well to keep you riveted to the screen.  There could have been some better editing but then that’s only normal.  Do pick up the DVD or watch on TV if it is every played in the near future.  7 on 10. Apologies once again.

 

Watch the trailer on http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi290891545/?ref_=tt_ov_vi