Call Me

Call Me (1988), directed by Sollace Mitchell, is a violent and erotic thriller that attempts to capture the gritty, sordid atmosphere of late 1980s New York. The story follows Anna, a young journalist who receives an obscene phone call she believes is from her boyfriend. When she agrees to meet him at a bar, she inadvertently becomes a witness to a murder. From there, Anna's life spirals into a dangerous web of mystery, suspense, and encounters with dark, menacing characters, including a killer.

Mitchell's direction makes effective use of urban locations to heighten the sense of danger and claustrophobia, while Zoltan David's cinematography employs stark contrasts of light and shadow to emphasize the film's thriller tone. The portrayal of New York as a cold, grimy, and chaotic environment feels authentic and adds to the film's atmosphere. However, the narrative itself is plagued by logical inconsistencies and an exasperatingly slow progression of events. Anna's decisions, in particular, border on the absurd, which can test the audience's patience.

Steve Buscemi stands out in one of his early roles as a criminal, bringing his trademark intensity and eccentricity to the character. Yet, even his performance struggles to elevate a story that relies too heavily on genre clichés and lacks cohesion.

In conclusion, Call Me delivers a well-crafted aesthetic and some moments of genuine tension, but its weak plot and illogical character behavior undermine its potential. While visually compelling, the film ultimately falls short of being a truly engaging thriller.

Diverting and fun, with a few thrills thrown in. Mixes two plot lines cleverly, if with a little too much coincidence! Very atmospheric with hidden corners of New York City, especially at night. A really cool, nicely executed look - sort of film noir in color. Good work by the DP and production & costume designers. (look at all the oranges & blues)

Fun cast - young Steve Buscemi, David Strathairn, Boyd Gaines (double Tony winner on B'way!), Patti D'Arbanville. Patricia Charbonneau is attractive in the lead, and Stephen McHattie is coolly creepy as the chief baddie.

Not great, but a solid B movie - a guilty pleasure. (It's even a little erotic - but watch out for strong language, if you're squeamish about 'bad' sex words.)

Reasonably entertaining thriller, which maintains an intriguingly ambiguous atmosphere for at least its first hour, when you don't know who might turn out to be a villain and how the two parallel plotlines are going to merge. The director also makes good use of the N.Y locations, but the story is filled with too many coincidences and improbabilities. An early showcase for the talent of Steve Buscemi. (**1/2)

****SPOILERS**** Somewhat disjointed but never really boring movie about a big city magazine journalist getting a phone call one afternoon and by thinking that the person on the other end of the line is her boyfriend Alex, Sam Freed. Thus, what seems to me, encourages the caller who may very well have not planned to at first to become more daring and bold then he should or would have been.

Asking Anne, Patricia Charbonneau,to meet him at a local watering hole "The Polish Bar" where instead of finding her boyfriend Alex Anne witnesses the murder of a transvestite Presser, John Seitz, by a corrupt police detective Henyk, Olek Krupa. It turns out that the transvestites partner and possibly lover Switchblade, Steve Buscemi, ripped off Det.Henyk as well as his boss, Ernest Abuba of their monthly take. Switchblade's other partner who was in the bar when all this happened Jellybean, Stephen McHattie, had no idea that Switchblade was involved in robbing his boss as well as Det. Henyk who was working for him. Determined to get their money back the hoods deduced that Anna was the one who took the cash since she was in the ladies room at the time when Presser, the transvestite, was murdered and left the bar right after that.

The rest of the movie is about Det. Henyk and Jellybean trying to find who the woman is that was with the transvestite at the time of his murder to retrieve their money that they thought that she had. Switchblade also tries to find her but not to get the money that he knew that she didn't have, he did, but to have her silenced so his partners would not suspect that he was involved in robbing them.

While all this is happening Anna keeps getting phone calls from her "secret admirer" who not only seems to know everything about her but also seems to be watching her from one of the nearby buildings. Instead of hanging up or calling the police Anna gets so heated up and turned on by the callers phone calls that when Alex catches her in one of those conversations he finds Anna more aroused with the caller on the phone then she ever was with Alex in bed. Alex hurt and humiliated at what he sees, and hears, there and then put and end to his relationship with Anna.

Later in the movie when Anna does find out just who this "fishy" admirer who's been calling her really is after she had a one-night stand with him in bed not on the phone. Angrily dumping the slippery eel Anna leaves him all wet for all the trouble that he caused her. Later the "fishy guy" quickly redeems himself by saving Anna's life from both Det. Henyk and Switchblade who found out who she was and where she lived but at the cost of his own life.

In the end it turned out that Jellybean the other hood who was completely left out in the cold about what was really going on around him by his cheating partner Switchblade ended up being the man that Anna liked most. As the closing credits started to roll Jellybean seemed to have started some kind of relationship with her which also looks like the start of a beautiful friendship.

Very creepy movie that tries to be Hitchcockien with it's characters and Film Noir with it's story but "Call Me" is just too unconvincing to be taken seriously either way.

Awkward dialogue and uneven acting at times. Film appears to be based on "Lady Beware," which fares better in every way. This film's only saving grace is seeing a pre-Disneyfied NYC. Great views of Downtown Manhattan. Can only recommend as a guilty pleasure/late-night cable viewing.