THE CALL – Movie Review
The story is centered on Jordan, a veteran 911 operator who receives a call that stands out from the rest and impacts her life immensely. The thriller shows her struggles to save a teenage girl’s life, and the minefield that is to work as a 911 operator. From Brad Anderson – the director of ‘The Machinist‘, featuring Academy award-winning Halle Berry, all grown up Abigail Breslin, and Michael Eklund. Judging by its trailer, ‘The Call‘ is clearly an ambitious film, set out to deliver a compelling tale with flawless acting.
For starters; the film offers us the perspective of 911 operators on events, usually we only watch such stories through the victims’, villain’s or police’s eyes. So you got to give it some valuable credit right away for originality. ‘The Call‘ grabs us and places us right into an intense and awful emergency field, it shows in rich details how cold and detached one must be to endure that type of job on a regular basis. It is quite a ride.
The atmosphere is perfectly designed for a thriller; the pace is constantly fast, and the screenplay packs a lot of tension, power shifts and enigma from beginning to end. The more the plot develops the more you realize how clever it is.
The story’s concept is very realistic; based on events that sadly happen in real life to young girls every day. This makes the film even more convincing and engaging, indeed a good example of art imitating life. The characters are also very down to earth, and so it’s easy to relate to them.
The acting is amazing. Halle Berry is like a good wine that only gets better with age. She was great in ‘Cloud Atlas‘, and she excels as Jordan in ‘The Call‘. Michael Eklund’s performance doesn’t disappoint either; both embody their characters so vividly, you’ll easily forget you’re watching fiction. Abigail Breslin delivers a fairly decent performance for her age, but she’s still gets outstaged by Halle Berry and Michael Eklund.
It’s hardly possible to find any flaws in this. It’s not perfect, but it’s genuinely an enjoyable thriller that is worth your time and money. It’s one of those films that you watch more than once.
