La morte avrà i suoi occhi

(1987) The Caller PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLER/ SCIENCE-FICTION

It opens with the Madolyn Smith character leaving with some money to the gas station attendant after filling the range rover up with gas. And when she leaves the gas station, someone's hand is seen grabbing money after she has left. And by the time she comes home, which happens to be a cottage in the middle of the nowhere, someone appears to be watching her. Bringing packages in, one of the odd packages she brings inside is a hat box that has something dripping at the bottom. She first makes a call to her daughter and as soon as someone knocks on her door, it happens to be the character played by Malcolm McDowell, telling her that he has a flat and wanting to use her telephone. At first, she is reluctant since she says she is expecting somebody to show up for dinner as it was in the middle of the night. And it was at this point the mind games begins when both the Madolyn Smith and the Malcolm McDowell characters begin questioning one another's motives and making suggestions the person may have or might have done, ending with a twist the reason the movie is called "the Caller", and it is not what one would think.

A two person performance of Madolyn Smith and Malcolm McDowell as one is attempting to figure out the other from one day after the next. The ending rivals to anything from the "Twilight Zone" which requires some thought.

THE CALLER is a very strange psychological thriller put out by Charlie Band's Empire Pictures outfit. It plays out as a two-hander in which a mysterious young woman is visited by an older stranger at her cabin-in-the-woods home, and the story follows their developing relationship which appears to be based on secrets, lies and game-playing. The chief draw here is Malcolm McDowell, who gives a typically eccentric performance, but sadly the actress they've put him up against simply isn't very good. The script is pretty poor too, with little suspense and then a big twist at the end which reminded me of Norman J. Warren's PREY, albeit less effective.

An undeservedly forgotten little feature by Empire Pictures. Where has this one been hiding? Instead of relying heavily on special effects, 'The Caller' sticks to an audaciously thought-provoking screenplay and confidently notable performances by its only two, but spellbinding cast members Malcolm McDowell and Madolyn Smith-Osborne.

A young lady living in the woods waiting for her guest to arrive for dinner is being unknowingly watched. There's suddenly a knock at the door, but it's a mysterious man who wants to use her phone as his had a car accident. But what follows on from that leads to the two questioning each other's motives and the true meaning of their encounter.

It would be an understatement if I called it strangely unconventional, as nothing seems quite what it is and due to that nature it's plain gripping. Watching the battle of wills and wits between McDowell and Smith is brought across with pure intensity, bold authenticity and a touch of sinisterness. As one thinks they have the upper hand, soon it comes crashing down, but the mind games still flow. The true intentions is mystifying on what's going on with these fabrications, up until the unhinged climax (where I can see why it could be a turn off or disappointment of some sort) that really does throw you of course and lands you back at square one. There's no-way any one can find this calculative fodder predictable. Michael Sloane's enduring story is cerebrally crafted as while it's talky, the twisty nature is well observed in its details of the plot and character's progression. The verbal confrontations rally up the unbearable tension and emotional drive. How it plays out is like something out of a stage show and Arthur Allan Seidelman's tautly measured direction lends to that magnifying atmosphere. You truly get the sense that there's on one else about, other then these two (nameless) characters. McDowell's quietly edgy turn is hypnotic and Smith's neurotically vulnerable persona is creditably delivered. Watching these two steadfast performances and their chemistry together was fantastic. The remote woodland setting adds to the isolated and uneasy style of the feature. Richard Band's score is minimal, but titillatingly subtle and eerie.

An oddly disorientating and elaborate, if simulating addition to Empire Pictures.

Strange, gripping drama for the first 90% of the movie. McDowell plays his character with a weird calm intensity that keeps your eyes glued to him. Madolyn Smith-Osborne, a terrific actress here and someone who I never heard of, plays a woman who looks like she's about to come unhinged at any moment.

Part of the problem with this very dialogue-intense movie is that it builds up to such a dramatic climax that it's impossible to keep it going through any explanation of what's really going on. And the explanation really cheapens things.

What's really great about this movie is the interplay between the two (and only two) characters. In some parts it's brilliant. I wish I had stopped watching some time before Smith-Osborne got all her points, however.

The suspense of this movie made me late for work, when I got to work I discovered everyone else was late due to this movie being so suspenseful! The movie description tells you all you need to know. The end is something you must see only because I did, and it's only fair you do too. Will say this though; I didn't see it coming. There really isn't much more to say and I don't want to spoil this for any of you so I will most certainly not do that. The acting is decent, and the direction is very good so this is not by any means a waste of time. I say that because I know this will be the initial reaction of most people.