THE CALL

I have been putting off writing this review because I am still so disappointed. It's a complicated one to write because for the first hour of the film I was on the edge of my seat, emotionally invested and even had tears in my eyes at one point. It was an amazing, incredible film and I was so surprised by it's quality as, in my opinion, the trailer really doesn't do the best job at selling it.

However, the last half an hour or so absolutely destroyed these feelings. It completely ruined the film in an ending and development that made no sense in the context of the wider narrative. When I left the cinema I was genuinely upset by a great film with so much potential that was ruined in a bizarre turn of events. I would have preferred for the entire film to be absolutely rubbish rather than have something that is so good and holds so much potential be spoiled in this way.

The Call tells the story of Jordan (Halle Berry), a 911 operator who is plagued with guilt after failing to save a girl who phones the line for help. Six months later Jordan answers another life-altering call from Casey (Abigail Breslin), who is calling from the trunk of her kidnapper's car. Unable to track the phone, Jordan must stay on the line to Casey  in a race against time.

One of the most surprising aspects of the first hour of The Call for me (and what makes the final showdown all the more dissatisfying), was just how realistic and authentic it all seemed. All of the inexplicable questions i.e. Why does she have her cell phone on her, what about kicking out the taillights etc. were cleverly acknowledged providing the audience with a satisfying story-arc that allows you to get emotional involved without feeling cheated by unrelatable characters. All of it seems to make perfect sense and flawlessly slot together, giving you a terrifying yet fascinating insight into what it really might be like to be a 911 operator.

Abigail Breslin gives a powerful performance

Halle Berry and Abigail Breslin both give incredibly strong and heartfelt performances throughout; Breslin captures the true terror and desperation of Casey whereas Berry gives an at times heartbreaking performance as Jordan - you can sense her helplessness and feel the utter dismay as she tries to come up with new ways to keep Casey's hope alive whilst she herself is losing faith.

Although I have seen criticism in other reviews, the minor characters also provide a sense of realism to me. The other drivers who notice something suspicious about the kidnapper's car react in ways that I personally may not react, but understandably none the less. Some placid, some busybodies - either way they might make things worse but at the end of the day some people are honestly like that and although at first I was in disbelief, as their character's developed so did my understanding.

The kidnapper's backstory is one of the film's downfalls

This first hour really did have me covering my eyes with fear, on the edge of my seat with tension - my heart was pounding throughout as I was absolutely hooked and engrossed in this story that was being played out in front of me. If it had carried on this way I would have come out of the cinema a very satisfied but emotionally exhausted customer and gone on to recommend it to anybody who would listen with a full five stars. However, inexplicably the film seems to almost switch genres completely - going from a relatively realistic representation to absolute nonsense. Character's personality traits completely change as the film takes on an almost revenge-horror element rather than the thriller that it has already comfortably established itself as... All realism and reason goes out of the window as drugged up, beaten characters have an unreasonable amount of physical strength, director Brad Anderson attempts an unnecessary and random homage to Tarantino with one particularly desperate and cringe-inducing scene whilst adding a needless, awkward backstory to the film's villain that Anderson then doesn't even bother to go into detail with.

Why can't a psychotic kidnapper just be a psychotic kidnapper? In reality, there are plenty of twisted people who abduct and torture people for no reason other than their sick pleasure. Why Anderson felt the need to add a ridiculous, half-assed reasoning behind the kidnapper's motives without fully exploring it with the audience is baffling and doesn't make any sense when he already had such a strong film in the making. I was so scared by the film at the beginning because of how gritty and realistic it was - this anonymous kidnapper could be any Tom, Dick or Harry walking down the street and that was the prospect that made it so terrifying. Adding a nonsensical backstory to the kidnapper completely dehumanized him and any fear that I felt thinking 'this could happen to me' was completely eliminated as the story became more and more far-fetched.

The ending is disappointing and borderline laughable

However, if the villain's backstory was all that was wrong with the ending then I probably could have dealt with it a lot better, maybe knocked it down to four stars but relatively enjoyed it none the less. The very final straw for me came with the very final scene. A scene that makes no sense; logically, realistically or professionally in a  film that had so far done all of the above. As I said, the film just seems to switch genres. From a fast-paced, exciting thriller to an implausible load of nonsense that you just can't bring yourself to believe nor accept. The characters you see in the last twenty minutes are not the same characters that you have emotionally attached to in the prior hour and ten. The film that you are watching in the last twenty minutes is not the same film; the script is not the same script... None of it makes any sense.

And why Brad Anderson felt the need to throw away a film that had so much potential, such a strong cast and such an incredibly emotional narrative is beyond me. He could have had a cinematic masterpiece on his hands, instead it is nothing more than a disappointing flop.

Despite this, the first hour has really stuck with me and I can't deny how much I loved it. So for that reason, I have to award The Call with ★★★☆☆

 ...but it really did leave me the most disappointed out of any film that I have seen this year. 

The Call is in cinemas nationwide from 20th September!

Stay tuned for more reviews and follow me on twitter if you like!

Love,