The Caller (2008)

An energy business exec is assisted by a private investigator in his effort to expose his corporation's corrupt practices.

Director:

Richard Ledes

Writers:

Alain-Didier Weill (as Alain Didier-Weill), Richard Ledes

Stars:

Axel Feldmann, Grégory Ravary Ellis, Jean Brassard

1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Axel Feldmann	...	Young Jimmy
Grégory Ravary Ellis	...	Lulu (as Grégory Ellis)
Jean Brassard	...	Young Jimmy's Father
Marion Servole	...	Young Jimmy's Mother
Frank Langella	...	Jimmy
Devin Luke	...	Limo Driver
Edward James Hyland	...	John Pierce (as Edward Hyland)
Corey Johnson	...	Paul Wainsail
Chris McKinney	...	Jack Cross
Elliott Gould	...	Turlotte
Edoardo Ballerini	...	Teddy
Robert Bagnell	...	Jeff
Chandler Williams	...	Sammy
Anabel Sosa	...	Lila
Helen Stenborg	...	Jimmy's Mother

Storyline

France 1944: during an aerial bombardment, two boys are separated from their parents; the older one helps the younger. Jump ahead to contemporary Manhattan where chief financial officer Jimmy Stevens punishes his company's murderous practices in Third World countries by setting up its stock release to fail. He knows they'll kill him in retaliation; he asks for two weeks. By telephone, using a voice disguising device, he hires a private detective, Frank Turlotte, to watch ... Jimmy. What's going on? Jimmy goes to the park where he reads a book and talks to children; he visits his aged mother. Frank observes it all. The two-week deadline approaches. What's Jimmy's game?

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Plot Keywords:

deadline | telephone | france | detective | murder | 

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Taglines:

We All Want To Call The Shots

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for some violent images

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 February 2009 (USA)

Also Known As:

On the Hook

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Chapeau Films,Belladonna Productions,Olive Press Cinema

Technical Specs

Runtime:

92 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The silent movie playing on the TV is _Nosferatu (1922)_.

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Goofs

The device Mr. Stevens plugs into his phone to morph his voice when talking to Frank is actually a power adapter for the iGo charger.

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Connections

Features Nosferatu (1922)

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Soundtracks

Trouble Trouble
Performed by Heather Weisberg
Composed by Leonard Feather (as Leonard Geoffrey Feather)
Courtesy of Kobalt Music

User Reviews

A Good Film, but Very Slow

Don't walk in to "The Caller" expecting any explosions or nudity, because you won't get it. (In fact I believe only one gunshot is used in the film).

Frank Langella and Elliot Gould, arguably two of Hollywood's most underrated, star in this sleeper thriller that follows Jimmy Stevens (Langella), an energy analyst who had recently sent out damaging information to his company via e-mail. He realizes that he will most likely be executed because of it and he has a Private Detective (Gould) follow him on what will most likely be his last days, the Detective unaware that the man who hired him and the man who he's tailing are the same.

I liked "The Caller", but it ran a bit slow. Langella and Gould have two of the most relaxing voices and demeanors on the planet (at least to me) so their many scenes of dialog were almost fascinating. But the lack of almost any action will probably ward off any Die Hard or Rambo fan. Use "Public Enemies" for an example; a fine film that may talk too much and not thrill enough.

The central theme of the film seems to be death, and it is represented very well in the flashbacks of Langella's character. He is a haunted man who is ready to meet his maker, and ready to end it by outing the company he works for. Langella and Gould are perfect for their roles.

"The Caller" is a very good film if you are in a thinking mood, but not if you are ready for any amount of action. Kudos to all involved!