Review of The Call (2013) by Calvin S — 06 Jan 2014

The Call is nail biting from start to finish, Brad Anderson's direction is swift and gripping with camerawork that sticks you right in the face of danger and puts you on the receiving end of the terrifying call that the story focuses on.

Jordan Turner, an experienced 911 operator answers a call from a young girl who has been kidnapped and stuffed in the boot of a car, Turner uses all her skills and ability to track the girls whereabouts and try to save her, but the kidnapper seems all to familiar to Jordan, one that links to a past call that went horribly wrong.

Who would've thought a movie about 991 calls could be so intense, it's a side of the law we never get to see and I think that The Call portrays it perfectly, all the dialogue and situations feel real, and Halle Berry is exceptional as the lead, a lead that turns from an emotionally fragile woman to a brave fighter in the final act.

Abigail Breslin is amazing, her acting as a terrified kidnapped young girl is spine tinglingly realistic and she's come a long way since Little Miss Sunshine, the last role I saw her in, she is a rising talent and she is superb in this.

All this suspense and terror wouldn't be as effective if it weren't for the shockingly scary performance from Michael Eklund, who plays the psychotic kidnapper. His performance is still in my head, and you get to see how truly mad and twisted his character is in the last act, that's where the whole film takes a more bold and brutal direction which shocks you, leaving you breathless by the end of the call.