The Calling

The Calling (2014)

It's weird to see how routine this kind of movie has become. And how obvious the influences are. Take "Fargo" and put it Canada (same snow, some parochial setting, and same kind of earthy woman cop). Then remove all the originality and verve, and you have "The Calling."

Serial killers are of course more common in the movies than in real life, thankfully. And they all require weird methods, patterns with exceptions to the pattern, and a single (often painfully solitary) cop on the hunt. Susan Sarandon plays the cop, the good guy if you will, and I actually think she does a great job. If she can't match MacDormand in "Fargo" it's partly or mostly because of the writing and direction. In this movie, director Jason Stone in his first full length film, shows he's still learning. And borrowing from good sources. But we all know the formulae, and need more than that. Where do guys like him get budgets and approvals and a couple of great actors when there are so many talented men—and women!—who have shown more mettle and imagination in the trenches?

What remains isn't a disaster, but it's a bit of a trudge. Don't blame Sarandon, who makes it charming overall. There is an intention toward realism here, and yet the scenes are a combination of grotesque and whimsical. The murders are horrible, and beyond probably what is normal horror though I don't really know how the world of murder works. And the people are so homespun and regular, worried about their coffees of course, that they lighten up the whole movie without making it comic.

So, it's not, for sure, a disaster. I don't know that I'd call that a recommendation. There are better films of this type out there (without going to the top of the genre with "Silence of the Lambs" and so forth). But there are worse!

'The Calling' is one of those movies that never tries to stand out in any way. It never tries to shock its audience and win points with extra levels of violence or shocking plot twists that leave your mouth gaping open. It is simply content being a solid, well acted film that audiences can appreciate and then most likely forget. And that's OK. It's better than a film trying to be more than what it's capable of and turning into a bombsite. Director Jason Stone, in his feature film debut, made the call to go down this route and I think it was a good decision all things considered.

The movie has a solid cast, but not an overly exciting one. Susan Sarandon, Donald Sutherland, Topher Grace, Ellen Burstyn - all fine actors, however none of them are going to steal a scene or bring a lot of energy to the film. That was one issue with the film, was that it always felt a little flat. No real action scenes or plot twists can find the movie going through the motions, discovering clue after clue, until the final showdown and then it's over. Solid, but a little tedious at times. Nevertheless it's more watchable than a number of thrillers being released today and it certainly isn't going to offend anyone. Give it a look.

Some people claim they can hear the Calling, like our main bad guy in this movie. While there are some shades and he does have a goal, most of the viewers will not root for him. Of course there is controversy with a theme like that, though I'm surprised that Ebert (movie critic) gave it one of four stars.

Just the acting alone should make you feel this deserves more. Even if you don't like Susan Sarandons character, the way she portrays her and plays her is just amazing. The supporting cast is great too, though it's not a "whoddunnit", but more a "whydunnit". Though the latter might be spoiled in most reviews of the movie. I won't do that here, though I know the "reason" will not be everyones cup of tea. You'll either be engaged with this or you won't

At times this serial killer flick can be too stomach-churningly gruesome and grim for my tastes. However, the all star-cast and an absorbing storyline eventually won me over.

Susan Sarandon is superb as the pain pill-popping, heavy drinking, and unfiltered Acting Police Chief Hazel Micallef, in the small town of Fort Dundas, Canada. Topher Grace is also excellent as the young police officer Ben Wingate, who's transferred to Fort Dundas from Toronto, to get a fresh start after the death of his life partner. As mentioned, there's a strong all-star cast here, which includes Ellen Burstyn, Gil Bellows, Donald Sutherland, and Christopher Heyerdahl.

We find out about half-way through the movie who the serial killer actually is, but the actual motives of the killer are not initially what is supposed, as we slowly find out what the real reasons are for the slayings all across Canada. The film, I thought, began to follow a predictable path but then a few twists near the end, I felt, enhanced the movie.

In summary, I felt the filmmakers put a little too much emphasis on the gruesome, but I found myself, with the strong performances and the rather engrossing plot being interested throughout.

The movie was directed by Jason Stone with a screenplay from Scott Abramovitch, based on the novel by Inger Ash Wolfe

Sometimes we want a fast paced thriller, but in reality life is not like that! Nowadays I like films with more realism, its not to say that a film cannot have more crammed into it. Silence of the Lambs - that's my favorite creepy serial killer film which had plenty of material rammed into that.

The drunken drug worn out sheriff, doesn't matter who you are in life that part can get anybody, she wasn't legless but needed a tipple here and there and painkillers for some ailment she had.

I quite liked the film, bit empty in some areas, and as said slow paced. Its not a film i would pay to watch at the cinema but if I sat at home one evening and watched it on TV i would not feel cheated out of any hrs watching it.

Very watchable - Not a bad film, far from it!