The Call (2013) – Movie Review

20130412_1918What would you do if you committed a fatal mistake costing the life of a young person? In an effort to help, you ruined the life of a victim instead of saving her?

This is the dilemma of Jordan Turner played by Halle  Berry in the film, The Call. The Call is a 94 minutes good movie for thrill seekers.  It is filled with suspense  as you will be left to guess what would happen next to the victim of the psycho killer.

After the tragic event leading to the death of a girl, Halle working as 911 operator does not know whether to continue doing her job or not. With help from colleagues and friends, she was able to muster her strength to do her job once again.  Another incident at the call center  happened.  A  call from a lady victim needs an immediate response and time is of the essence.

Only this time the circumstances are different. The noisy car and the loud music enables  Jordan to listen to and question the girl further and give her instructions how to escape from his abductor. At this point  Jordan needs to  gather her wits,  quick thinking and  common sense to help a girl out of  the perilous situation.

Just listening to the frantic voice of Casey can make anybody nervous too.  Realizing that anyone could be a victim of  these criminals roaming around the streets, I listened and watched  intently as Jordan delivered  her split second decisions and instructions to the girl.

Although equally nervous herself for the life of the girl, Turner gathers her wits to imagine things to do for the helpless girl inside the car’s trunk. The acting of Casey is very good as she portrays the role of a confused and afraid girl yet with an indomitable spirit. Same is true also with Jordan although they are in two distinct conditions, the one being the helper and the other being helped. While  the communication line is open, Jordan has the chance to lend support and hope to the girl.

Although there are cruelty  in the scenes, it adds to the emotional impact and realism of the story. This may not however be recommended for kids because of the violence involved. The plot is engaging and the cast all played their part so well to make this movie stand out as a thriller story. The cinematography and sound effects  add up to the suspense of the movie.

Both Abigael and Jordan are strong characters in this movie. They were able to surmount their fears and showed a willingness to fight despite the odds. This is just another breaking film by Brad Anderson worthy of nomination to the Oscars.

The acting of Denise Dowse as a co-worker and Roma Maffia as Turner’s supervisor were superb. The portrayal of the bad guy by Michael Ekland was really believable. He is a normal guy but has some dark side inside of him.

Although the call Casey made to 911 could be traced, under their circumstance, it was not possible because she was using a disposable and prepaid phone. Although most of the scenes happened at the 911 center and inside the car trunk, the  tension and suspense was there.

Halle Berry deserves an applause in this movie for her portrayal of a conscience stricken operator having an ironed will to redeem herself from a previous fault. She even goes to the extent of finding the culprit herself before it was too late.

What makes the film riveting is the sequencing  and pacing of events  heightened  by the intense desire of Turner to save another victim of  the psycho killer.

From start to middle and near end, the movie is fascinating but the twist at the end makes a little disappointment. There should be even more I should say.

This maybe a scary movie to watch because of the bloody, violence and cruelty as well as the menacing attitude of  Michael Foster, but watching it will be worth your money and time. It will open up your mind  to impending realities within our society which could happen to anybody.

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For More Information Visit:
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http://www.movieweb.com/movie/the-call
http://www.call-movie.com/site
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1911644/combined

 

Author: Irene Taniegra

A casual writer and a virtual assistant