The Call - Movie Review

Who's in it?

Halle Berry, Evie Thompson, Abigail Breslin & Michael Eklund What's it about? The Call opens with Jordan (Halle Berry) as a 911 operator taking a call from a young girl about to be abducted by a vicious killer that will change her life forever. Believing she is responsible for the girl's death (mostly because she is), Jordan takes a step back from the front line, opting instead for a training role until she is called into action to attempt to save a life once more.

Any Good?

If you've seen and enjoyed a tense abduction thriller before then you'll know exactly what to expect with The Call because it's as cliched as they come. Scenes slot into place and the movie progresses exactly as you would expect but credit where it's due, tension builds nicely and we're taken along for the ride for the most part.

Michael Ecklund as the deranged abductor just about steals the show and manages to keep the momentum going despite the final third of the film falling into farce. Not content to allow the actual police force do their job, Jordan leaves the 911 centre and seems to transform into Jessica Fletcher before our very eyes. Not one minute of it believable.

At just 90 minutes, The Call isn't going to take up much of your weekend but it will leave you with a serious sense of disappointment after such a promising start. All 'round I'd recommend you save your tenner ticket price and wait to see this one as a dvd or online - it'd make a solid thriller for movie night in, that way you can switch off should you feel the need. (That or you could just watch the trailer as it contains the ENTIRE film) As far as tense telephone thrillers go? Phonebox it aint. Rating?