The Calling

This film tells the story of a female detective in a quiet small town, who is addicted to alcohol and pills. Her great friend is murdered one day, and she sets out to find the murderer. Two days later, another murder occurs, and she is determined to get to the bottom of it.

"The Calling" starts off very slow, and I have to say I was about to lose interest in it. Fortunately, the plot turns very engaging soon after the second murder occurs. The puzzle presented here is certainly different from other crime films, which makes this film more captivating. Topher Grace is very good as a young policeman who is intelligent and dedicated. Susan Sarandon looks very good in the film, and I can't quite believe she is already over seventy. I enjoyed this film, and I would recommend it to others.

Detective Hazel Micallef (Susan Sarandon) is the senior officer in the Fort Dundas , Ontario Police Department , a peaceful and with no problem location . Hazel is a veteran patrol woman who formerly attempted to commit suicide herself , being assisted by a likable cop helper (Gil Bellows) . Hazel self-medicates to control the emotional and physical pain on her back . She hasn't had much to worry about in the sleepy town of Fort Dundas until a string of gruesome murders in the surrounding countryside brings her face to face with a serial killer driven by a higher calling . Along the way , there arrives a rookie policeman (Topher Grace) to take his job as a cop assistant . The stubborn Inspector Hazel interrogates the villagers , but nobody tells the whole truth . Hazel learns a serial killer who did not want to be trapped , the reason for committing the murders in different jurisdictions . A bit later on , Hazel consults Catholic priest Father Price (Donald Sutherland) , further leading to the thought that the murderer is working on a ritualistic religious mission with more victims to come . Eventually , the police inspector finds out some tracks until a surprsing finale . Pray for the Prey !

An intriguing and riveting thriller with tension , plot twists, thrills and magnificent interpretations. There are several interesting characters, some of them are suspicious people, but in the cold and foggy location nothing is what it seems . A mystery thriller set in Ontario , located in a hazy , mountainous , snowy location where police woman Hazel/Susan Sarandon has to investigate a series of grisly killings , including some gory frames when the victims appear with their throats slitted . Here stands out the great actress Susan Sarandon giving a fabulous acting , as usual. This veteran actress got long time ago some big hits with notorious films as Atlantic City , Thelma & Louise , Dead Man Walking , following other recent successes as Cloud Atlas , Arbitrage , Enchanted , Irresistible , Elizabethtown , Speed racer , Solitary Man and many others . Highlights of the movie are the splendid and prestigious secondary actors . As Susan Sarandon is well accompanied by a good support cast, such as : Gil Bellows as Inspector helper, Ellen Burstyn as her mother , Topher Grace as the novice assistant , Christopher Heyerdahl as an unsettling fanatic religious , Kristin Booth as a waiter , and , of course , Donald Sutherland providing a brief but awesome performance as a wise priest.

It displays a stirring , moving musical score by Robert Melamed and Mark Petrie , as well as adequate and colorful cinematography by David Jones , shot on location in Dundas, Hamilton, Ontario, Sunderland , Ontario, Canada . This fascinating motion picture was compellingly directed by Jason Stone who was born in Johannesburg, South Africa , being his second film feature . He is a producer and writer, known for The Hardy Boys (2020), This Is the End (2013) and Tender as Hellfire (2009). He has directed various episodes from famous TV Series , such as : Legacies , Motherland: Fort Salem , Riverdale , Aftermath , Van Helsing , Rogue , among others . Rating . 6/10 . Well worth watching . Essential and indispensable seeing for Susan Sarandon fans .

This movie's genre is mis-named. It's contemplative. It's also as dark, northern & cold as its Canadian landscape. Could the same effects not have also been achieved by a director or movie from Finland or Sweden or even Germany? (Compare the slow tempo of much German cinema.) It's a story about a state of mind with little light & much darkness -- and death is just a kiss away. Of course it also has a thriller, hunt-'em-down narrative. But I do not think that is the point. The story masks an attempt to portray a state of mind -- where do I go now? life seems hopeless, pointless & what's the use? -- concerning which mood of mind all of the actors are superb, first rate older (& younger) pros. This is definitely not a fun flick. But definitely first-rate in its own quirky way. Thank you. PS: Why is so much Canadian-based cinema so bitter and dark?

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

'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.