Review of The Call (2013) by Margo D — 16 Feb 2014

The Call: Don't Get Stuck Waiting by the Phone.

When viewing a suspense/thriller film, viewers already suspect unrealistic coincidences and helpless female victims, who are usually being stalked or tortured in some form. Brad Anderson's The Call won't leave viewers disappointed. The first 2/3 of the movie create a thriller truly unlike any other, when Jordan (Halle Berry) reconnects with a serial killer she spoke with earlier in her career as a 9-1-1 operator. As she attempts to predict this killer's next move and stay one step ahead of him, she works with the abducted child to create two strong female roles unseen in recent suspense films. Once Jordan leaves her operator's chair, however, the finale leaves viewers questioning why they had hope for the film in the first place.

The acting throughout the film is solid all the way through until the end. Jordan expresses inner conflict when confronted with her past mistake with Michael (Michael Eklund), a serial killer. Michael truly projects how a man with a psychotic obsession will turn to desperation and rage when his predetermined plan does not follow through. And Casey (Abigail Breslin), Michael's second abductee, gives an accurate portrayal of the terror seen from a victim with no thought other than the will to survive. However, her performance relies on too much whining and carrying on that gradually grates on viewers' nerves as it continues scene after scene. These performances make the movie stronger and help to steady the shaky storyline.

Realistically if this one-in-a-lifetime situation would have actually occurred, the response of society would have been much more profound. Seeing paint running out of a broken taillight would raise concern to call the police immediately, not just casually calling out to the driver to alert him of his odd predicament. Also, the odds of a serial killer's abductee calling 9-1-1 and ending up talking to the same operator six months later are slim to none. Every occurrence seems too predictable and coincidental for it to be plausible. Especially once Jordan leaves the operator's chair the sequence of events that follows becomes highly questionable. The credibility of the film evaporates, the script falls apart, and almost all faith is lost in the validity that was built in the beginning of the movie.

Disappointment. Disturbed. Confused. Agitated. These feelings accurately describe what every viewer will experience during the last 1/3 of The Call. A ridiculous "plot twist" creates a surprise ending that does not fit the film's humanitarian and politically correct views on 9-1-1 operators that have been developed through every preceding moment. All logic is thrown out the window when Jordan's unprofessionalism leaves viewers questioning every truth in the film, especially when she breaks every one of the unofficial "rules" of taking calls in the call center that she had been teaching students herself only precious moments before. When the camera pans out for the final time, viewers will be rolling their eyes in mockery instead of feeling their jaws drop from disbelief.