The Call

The first half of the film I'd genuinely give a 10/10, the second half would be more a 6/10.

The first forty five minutes had me utterly gripped and on the edge of my seat, it was exactly what you want from a thriller. The second half becomes a more bog standard thriller, dare I say it, it becomes somewhat silly, the ending is too much.

Berry is terrific, I am such a fan of hers, sadly her character transforms into something a little silly. The villain is rather good, I only wish we got to learn a little of his motivation, sadly they didn't explore it.

It's watchable. 8/10

The Call kept my interest and had everyone wanting to scream at the screen and tell the characters what to do and urge them along. The characters would alternate between overcoming their emotions and rising to the challenge and falling prey to them at just the wrong moment. There was a constant sense of tension during the 911 call and the walk through of getting the girl to safety. Be prepared to feel that adrenaline and tension for longer than your body is normally used to. You may feel just as drained after a call as a 911 operator does...

I really enjoyed the level of detail the film makers put into showing us the world of a 911 operator and what they go through on a day to day basis. It's pretty fascinating. I know I could never do that kind of job. That kind of stress day in and day out has to wear on a person and probably often hardens them.

The ending involves a twist I wasn't expecting, and gains my respect for that, but it was still somewhat disappointing because I wanted it to go further. Those who have seen the movie will know what I mean.

If you found yourself at all interested in the trailer go see this movie! You'll like it!

I enjoyed this film quite a bit: it kept a good pace of tension which makes for a good thriller. The acting is good (no academy awards), and it did a good job of giving a glimpse into the operations of 911 call centers which is a fresh topic - and it did so without dragging the pace.

The main bad guy becomes ever more creepy as the plot progresses which helps build the tension. The ending takes an interesting twist which, in the moment, doesn't feel quite as out-of-character as others describe - mainly due to a good segue shot that probably took more than a few takes to get right.

The weak spots consist mainly of some CSI style technology leaps that only technology morons would buy into, and a single bit of clumsiness that just feels scripted. Unfortunately the CSI technology leaps are very popular in Hollywood (to my dismay) and the bit of clumsiness is key to the plot progression.

If one or two minor transgressions make you feel like you wasted your money, wait for it to show up on Netflix. If you enjoy a good edge of your seat thriller and can overlook the transgressions, go see it!

I really like the first half, it keeps you involved but second half has unnecessary plot. Ending could have been different.

"The Call" is a tidy little thriller, modeled, in large part, on the movie "Speed." Halle Berry plays the Southern California 911 dispatcher who's in a race against the clock to rescue a teenage girl (Abigail Breslin) locked in the trunk of a serial killer (Michael Eklund).

Director Brad Anderson keeps the action going at a breakneck pace, providing pulse-pounding, edge-of-the-seat suspense that helps us to overlook the stray inconsistency and implausibility that wander into the narrative, particularly towards the end (the movie doesn't entirely escape the Third Act curse common to the genre). There's also an unfortunate tendency towards the sadistic that spoils some of the fun.

The really distinctive feature is that writer Richard D'Ovidio has made Jordan, the dispatcher, a compelling, easily identifiable figure by emphasizing not only her strength and craftiness but her insecurity and self-doubt as she does her best to assist people in making it through sometimes unimaginable crises.

The movie is a bit overwrought at times (again, looking at you, last half hour) and it ultimately succumbs to too many serial-killer clichés, but "The Call" is a whole lot better than many of the more highly publicized, big-budget thrillers of recent times.