Movie Review: The Call (2013)

"911, what is your emergency?" Probably the most familiar phrase in America pertaining to emergencies. Is it even possible to make a movie from a 911 call? Director Brad Anderson together with Halle Berry thinks so. The Call has proven that a movie about an emergency call can be a successful thriller.

 It is just another day at the 911 "hive" call center. All the 911 operators are at their stations and busy working. Jordon Turner (Halle Berry) is following her everyday routine when a call comes in from a young girl named Leah Templeton (Evie Thompson). Leah says that someone is breaking into her house. Jordon give her instructions on what to do until the police arrive. Everything is going fine until the call disconnects, and Jordon makes the mistake of calling Leah back. The ringing of the phone leads the killer to Leah's location and is later found murdered. Jordon is devastated.

 After the incident, Jordon can't handle taking 911 calls anymore. She then becomes a 911 trainer for new recruits. During one of Jordon's training sessions, a call comes in from Casey Welson (Abigail Breslin) who states that she has been abducted from a local mall and is in the trunk of a car. The first operator doesn't know how to handle the situation, so Jordon takes the call. It is later discovered that Casey's abductor, Michael Foster (Michael Eklund), is the same person who kidnapped and murdered Leah Templeton. After the identity of the abductor is discovered, it becomes a race against time to rescue Casey.

 If there is one word to describe The Call, it would be gripping. The Call is surprisingly exciting. It is an adrenaline rush from start to finish.

 Each performer in The Call delivers believable and heart wrenching roles and executions. This is Halle Berry at her best. She successfully draws the audience inside the world of real 911 operators. Abigail Breslin is also moving as the frightened teen, and Michael Eklund is terrifyingly brilliant as a psychopath. Even the supporting performers give outstanding presentations.

 The Call is unforgettable. For a film with scenes that would be too disturbing for a young audience, on a scale of 1 to 5 (1 the lowest, 5 the highest), this film at least rates a 4. This should not be surprising considering that Brad Anderson has directed the likes of Vanishing on 7^th Street, most of the episodes on the TV sci-fi thriller, Fringe, and a few episodes from Boardwalk Empire, Alcatraz, and Person of Interest.