The Call
Jordan Turner is an experienced 911 operator but when she makes an error in judgment and a call ends badly, Jordan is rattled and unsure if she can continue. But when teenager Casey Welson is abducted in the back of a man's car and calls 911, Jordan is the one called upon to use all of her experience, insights and quick thinking to help Casey escape, and not just to save her, but to make sure the man is brought to justice.
What critics thought
The Call earns genuine praise for its tightly wound first hour — Berry anchoring a clever, crosscut thriller set inside a 911 call center — but critics were nearly unanimous that the film collapses in its third act, when the story abandons its high-concept hook for a generic, implausibility-riddled finale. The split isn't over whether the film starts well; it's over whether that strong opening earns any goodwill by the end.
“An effectively creepy thriller about a 911 operator and a young miss in peril, The Call is a model of low-budget filmmaking.”
Manohla Dargis·The New York Times
“Rare is the thriller that goes as completely and utterly wrong as The Call does at almost precisely the one-hour mark. Which is a crying shame, because for an hour this is a riveting, by-the-book kidnapping.”
Roger Moore·The Seattle Times
“The Call dials up a shallow thrill ride, but one efficiently peppered with your typical 'don't go in there!' moments”
Jake Coyle·The Hutchinson News
“The semi-fresh thriller, set mainly in an emergency call center and on the freeways of Los Angeles, puts a tech slant on a damsel-in-distress setup. It buzzes along for a while, the promising plot innovations inviting suspension of disbelief, before by-the-numbers implausibility, over-the-top valor and unsavory contrivances take over and the line goes dead.”
Los Angeles Times
Genres
Drama, Thriller
Cast & Crew
Brad AndersonDirector
Halle BerryJordan Turner
Abigail BreslinCasey Welson
Morris ChestnutOfficer Paul Phillips
Michael EklundMichael Foster
David OtungaOfficer Jake Devans
Michael ImperioliAlan Denado
Justina MachadoRachel
José ZúñigaMarco
Roma MaffiaMaddy
Evie ThompsonLeah Templeton
Denise DowseFlora
Ella Rae PeckAutumn
John DebneyComposer
Jon BokenkampWriterThe Call
Jordan Turner is an experienced 911 operator but when she makes an error in judgment and a call ends badly, Jordan is rattled and unsure if she can continue. But when teenager Casey Welson is abducted in the back of a man's car and calls 911, Jordan is the one called upon to use all of her experience, insights and quick thinking to help Casey escape, and not just to save her, but to make sure the man is brought to justice.
What critics thought
The Call earns genuine praise for its tightly wound first hour — Berry anchoring a clever, crosscut thriller set inside a 911 call center — but critics were nearly unanimous that the film collapses in its third act, when the story abandons its high-concept hook for a generic, implausibility-riddled finale. The split isn't over whether the film starts well; it's over whether that strong opening earns any goodwill by the end.
“An effectively creepy thriller about a 911 operator and a young miss in peril, The Call is a model of low-budget filmmaking.”
Manohla Dargis·The New York Times
“Rare is the thriller that goes as completely and utterly wrong as The Call does at almost precisely the one-hour mark. Which is a crying shame, because for an hour this is a riveting, by-the-book kidnapping.”
Roger Moore·The Seattle Times
“The Call dials up a shallow thrill ride, but one efficiently peppered with your typical 'don't go in there!' moments”
Jake Coyle·The Hutchinson News
“The semi-fresh thriller, set mainly in an emergency call center and on the freeways of Los Angeles, puts a tech slant on a damsel-in-distress setup. It buzzes along for a while, the promising plot innovations inviting suspension of disbelief, before by-the-numbers implausibility, over-the-top valor and unsavory contrivances take over and the line goes dead.”
Los Angeles Times
Genres
Drama, Thriller
Cast & Crew
Brad AndersonDirectorHalle BerryJordan TurnerAbigail BreslinCasey WelsonMorris ChestnutOfficer Paul PhillipsMichael EklundMichael FosterDavid OtungaOfficer Jake DevansMichael ImperioliAlan DenadoJustina MachadoRachelJosé ZúñigaMarcoRoma MaffiaMaddyEvie ThompsonLeah TempletonDenise DowseFloraElla Rae PeckAutumnJohn DebneyComposerJon BokenkampWriter