Jordan Turner (Halle Berry) takes on some disturbing responsibilities in "The Call". Photo by Greg Gayne.
WWE Studios‘ The Call is a six-month slice in the life of Los Angeles 911 dispatcher Jordan Turner (Halle Berry) who is overcome with grief and anxiety after a call goes terribly wrong. Turner steps away from the emotionally-crippling life of an active emergency dispatcher and takes a position as a trainer at the facility, until an emergency call from Casey Welson (Abigail Breslin) pulls her back into fray. What follows is a tense and violent trip into the California hills as Welson’s abductor (Michael Eklund in his third WWE Studios film) attempts to elude police who are being aided by Turner who is on the phone with the girl who is locked in the car’s trunk.
From the very opening sequence the film attempts to give an accurate description of what can be the hellish existence of a 911 operator in a major metropolis. When a trainee asks what happens on Friday, Turner simply responds, “All hell breaks loose.” Though there are moments of levity throughout the film, 911 calls about bats in the house or fast food orders being wrong are few and far between. Much of the film takes place in the state-of-the-art emergency dispatch center known as The Hive. The background of constant ringing and phone chatter serves as much of the film’s score, though Taco’s “Puttin’ on the Ritz” and the Culture Club are used with beautiful dissonance.
WWE's David Otunga plays one of the rescuing cops in "The Call". Photo by Greg Gayne.
The Call continues a change in direction for WWE Studios. The films were previously used as vehicles for the wrestlers themselves, but the lone WWE superstar in this film (David Otunga) is a bit player at best. He is the police partner of Turner’s love interest Officer Paul Phillips (Morris Chestnut). Early in the film it seems as if this relationship will be a much larger focus of the plot, but it is barely recognized as the action picks up. That is just one of the choices made in this film that separates it from some of the studio’s previous efforts. There’s very little distraction from the main story arc and the constant focus on the kidnapped girl and the operator trying to save her creates an incredible tension that makes the film engaging and uncomfortable without relying on gore and effects.
As the story plays out, more and more is revealed about Michael Foster, the film’s antagonist and Casey’s abductor. Michael Eklund makes Foster a detestable, albeit at times stereotypical, maniac who’s intentions are held very close to the vest. It is well into the film before you find exactly how sick he truly is. Foster provides a darkness to the film that no trailer comes close to conveying. His periodic violent outbursts and nearly instant unraveling in the face of opposition enhance the Helter Skelter world in which the story takes place. His unraveling reaches its peak along with the plotline when we find out why he is such a whack job and exactly what he plans to do to his victim.
Kidnapper Michael Foster (Michael Eklund) terrorizes Casey Welson (Abigail Breslin) in "The Call". Photo by Greg Gayne.
Visually, The Call doesn’t break any new ground. But there are scenes that stand out, for better or for worse. Oftentimes when Foster is on the verge of a meltdown, the frame will freeze just before he boils over. Likewise, a number of the film’s most tense scenes feature grainy slow motion spots. These techniques hearken back to director Brad Anderson’s work on the series Fringe and are a bit of a distraction. In a film whose stand-out component is the tension it creates, these stylized breaks just don’t quite fit the mood and ultimately break the tension if only for a moment.
To say very much about the details of the plot of The Call would only serve to take away from the experience of watching it unfold. The film does not necessarily break any new ground, but it does take a very different path to get to the finale. As I mentioned, this movie is completely under-served by its trailer, which is actually refreshing. Each act of the story is starkly different and the ending almost feels like it is from a different movie. However, this is pulled off seamlessly and provides an excellent landing pad from the emotional tightrope walk that preceded it. Being a WWE Studios release, The Call doesn’t have too much of a legacy to live up to. See No Evil, 12 Rounds and The Marine’s 1 through 25 failed to register with moviegoers who reside outside the WWE Universe. While The Call is not likely to set any box office records, people who give it a chance will be pleasantly surprised. If the studio can keep putting out films of this quality, that surprise will become expectation.