The Call - Leg nicht auf!

Der Film zeigt uns das unbekannte Milieu der psychisch anstrengenden Arbeit der Telefonist*innen in der Notruf-Zentrale und setzt auf die emotionale Schauspielleistung von Halle Berry, für die "ihr Fall“ sehr persönlich wird. Der Thriller hat einen soliden Anfang, er ist hart und spannend, die Fahrt des Opfers im Kofferraum zeigt neue Momente. Aber am Ende, welches das vorherige Geschehen krönen sollte, verliert der Film jegliche Invention und es kommt ein Klischee nach dem anderen mit einem faden Abschluss und einer fehlenden Katharsis. Das Ergebnis ist also ein Routine-Häppchen, das sich durch nichts von anderen ähnlichen Verfolgungen des Mörders und Rettungsaktionen abhebt. Das Schweigen der Lämmer und Sieben sind unerreichbar, um einige Lichtjahre weiter. (15.05.2013)

An extremely undemanding thriller that doesn’t deliver anything we haven’t seen elsewhere. An insane psychopath, an abducted victim, and the heroine who tries to find her. But I still enjoyed The Call. The actors are good in their roles, Brad Anderson knows how to generate tension in some scenes, even though the viewer already knows how everything will turn out. It’s nothing exceptional, but falling in love every now and again with a simple thriller and enjoy it without much complaint… why not. However, the fact that Anderson, who began with the excellent indie horror Session 9, has ended up in such classic Hollywood commercial schlock is objectively a bit sad. (07.06.2013)

A pure, fast-paced genre thriller with a wonderfully straightforward plot that goes too deep (into the killer’s mind) in the climax. Information about the protagonist is limited to what we need to know for the work storyline. The remaining clues leading to identification with the protagonist are provided by Halle Berry’s convincing portrayal of a fragile yet determined woman. The personal storyline is then skilfully integrated into the work storyline (thanks to which the film is also an ode to the work of both emergency call operators and police officers) without being needlessly pushed into the foreground. I wouldn’t see the reason that the film is only slightly above average in the screenplay, which requires the characters to act more or less reasonably, of course with respect to the requirements of the genre, i.e. so that the film can offer us the expected viewing pleasure, the protagonist has to do something stupid at least once. I would blame the director for the film being “only” satisfactory. Though Brad Anderson manages to build a suspenseful scene with its own gradation, he has difficulties with the continuous escalation of tension throughout the film, which as a result functions in the manner of several related episodes of a television series. It has multiple dramatic peaks and seems to start anew several times, which is definitely to the film’s detriment given its modest runtime and high-concept premise. This also involves the impossibility of emotionally connecting with the victim, about whom we know terribly little. In any given slasher movie, she would merely be a warm-up for the killer before the final girl (the question of who the final girl actually is, and how the film uses the slasher formula, is perhaps the most inspiring aspect of The Call). We can sympathise with Jordan and feel the same powerlessness that she feels, but we don’t have to fear for her life through most of the film, because there is no real threat to her. The Call is thus reminiscent of Rear Window, whose protagonist had to rely on what he saw, just as Jordan has to make do with what she hears. Unfortunately, no imaginative work is done with the soundtrack (as in The Interview or Blow Out), but I would be wanting too much from a low-budget genre flick. 70% (06.05.2013)

After I saw this film, I thought I was going to give it a four-star review. But it was enough for the user emma53 to write a single sentence to me and I realized that even though this thriller is good, the ending ruins the movie. You see, the whole thing is trying to look quite realistic. The 991 hotline, where emergency calls are answered by Halle Berry, was quite tense. But later, where Halle switches from providing help through a headset to actually helping specific people, the movie gets quite schematic, and it wasn’t very realistic. And the ending crowned everything. Anyways, when it comes to good thrillers, this one is still definitely worth watching. (08.11.2014)

In my reviews, I try to avoid the term "film cliché" as much as possible. Unfortunately, this piece relies on them to such an extent that it falls apart with them. You can perceive The Call as a routine thriller that can even strain your nerves if you turn off your brain, but I'm a complainer and I don't turn it off. So when I hear about the depth of holes in the script, unfortunately, I see craters that could comfortably fit a Federation spacecraft. Maybe even the whole fleet. Where others see a dangerous sexual maniac and psychopath, I see his caricature. I understand that not every script can have the qualities worthy of an Oscar, but this film lacks credibility even within the genre, and the crazy ending completely buries it. I like movies where the director and screenwriter play with the audience, dose out information, and lead them astray, but here the ending turned the thriller into an unwanted parody. My overall impression this time is not saved even by decent acting performances, so it remains at a very modest 25%. (28.12.2015)