The Call: It's For You

I will just come clean.  I went to go see Halle Berry's new thriller, The Call, for kicks.  Not "let's have a good time at the movies" kicks but "wow, let me rubber neck at this trainwreck as long as possible" kicks.  I thought the trailer looked awful, and I constantly made fun of Berry's Sideshow Bob haircut.  You did too!  Although it is more Justin Guarini than Sideshow B. 

This post is the most traction his career has gotten in years.

As I was watching The Call, however, I realized I wasn't waiting for B-movie banter or crappy performances, because, horror of horrors, I was really digging this kidnap thriller. 

Berry stars as Jordan Turner, a veteran 911 operator who must face her demons when a young girl named Casey (Abigail Breslin) is kidnapped and contacts Jordan from the trunk of a car.  Jordan keeps Casey calm and continually has her try different ways of getting the attention of other drivers on the highway.  The killer starts getting sloppy (killing people along the way cannot be very helpful), and, as the battery wears down on Casey's phone, Jordan works with the police to track down the serial kidnapper.  It has the makings of a truly awful movie, right? 

I was on the edge of my seat the whole time.  Seriously.  Sure, it isn't totally original (see: Cellular), but I still had a great job watching Berry and Breslin kick some major ass near the end of the film.  I don't recall having such a raucous audience while watching a movie.  People were screaming at the screen, laughing robustly, and talking amongst themselves.  Normally, that would piss me off, but I was totally buying into it.  I believe there was a point where my friend, Megan, and I high-fived.  Yeah, that happened. 

I am not the biggest fan of Abigail Breslin, but I guess her being locked in a trunk didn't phase me.  Berry and I have a complicated relationship, so I was glad that I liked her in this.  Speaking of actors, the guy playing the kidnapper, Michael Eklund (not a spoiler), is C-R-E-E-P-Y.  He meanders around the movie with a slightly open mouth the entire time, and it sufficiently freaked me out.

If you are looking for a solid thriller, don't hit ignore on The Call.  Or don't send it to voicemail.  Or pick up.  Or don't put it on hold.  I can go forever people!