The Call (2013)

Before watching this film, I had assumed that it was rated PG-13.  After watching the movie, I’m a little surprised that it was actually rated R.  If it had been tweaked ever so slightly, I think that it probably could have gotten the PG-13 rating.  I’m a little surprised that they would not have wanted to attract more of the teenage audience to this movie.  It seems like so many other films these days go for that lighter rating to try to get the teeny boppers into the seats.  Quite honestly, after learning of the rating right before the movie started, it actually made me raise my expectations of the quality of the film because of the genre.

The Call is a thriller about a 911 operator (Halle Berry) that makes a careless mistake while on an emergency phone call that causes the situation to end badly.  Consumed by guilt and anxiety, she struggles to hold it together in order to perform her job.  Time passes and one day the operator takes a call from a girl that has been kidnapped (Abigail Breslin).  Determined not to make the same mistake again, the operator does everything in her power to try to help the girl on the other end of the line.  She soon realizes that there is a link between the 2 emergency calls.

The film is directed by Brad Anderson and the rest of the noteworthy cast includes Morris Chestnut, Michael Eklund, Michael Imperioli, Justina Machado, and Jose Zuniga.

I held off from seeing this movie in theatres because I wasn’t sure if it would be worth my time.  I can usually give or take Berry.  Breslin is a talented young actress, but the movie looked a little B-rated.  What sparked my interest however, was Anderson’s involvement.  He has shown us that he is capable of excellence with his film The Machinist (2004).  With that being said, even though The Call looked questionable, I knew that it would at least be well-made.

The film did not allow for much character development.  It was not the type of movie that required quality acting.  Anderson makes up for this with quality filmmaking.  The events that occur in the film were made intense enough to keep my attention throughout.  The soundtrack helps to make the movie seem more fast-paced than it really is.  Because the film is kept at a relatively fast pace for its entirety, it helps you to forgive and forget the aspects of the movie that are lacking.  Bravo to the director for knowing what was necessary to make this B-rated film watch-able.

The film is a little predictable, but it will still suck you in.

I rate this movie a 7 on a scale of 1-10.

Buy, rent, or run?  Rent.