The Call (2013)

The Call is a movie starring Halle Berry, Evie Thompson, and Abigail Breslin. When a veteran 911 operator takes a life-altering call from a teenage girl who has just been abducted, she realizes that she must confront a killer from her past in order to save the girl's life.

Director:

Brad Anderson

Writers:

Richard D'Ovidio (screenplay), Richard D'Ovidio (story)

Stars:

Halle Berry, Evie Thompson, Abigail Breslin

1 win & 11 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Halle Berry	...	Jordan Turner
Abigail Breslin	...	Casey Welson
Morris Chestnut	...	Officer Paul Phillips
Michael Eklund	...	Michael Foster
David Otunga	...	Officer Jake Devans
Michael Imperioli	...	Alan Denado
Justina Machado	...	Rachel
José Zúñiga	...	Marco
Roma Maffia	...	Maddy
Evie Thompson	...	Leah Templeton (as Evie Louise Thompson)
Denise Dowse	...	Flora
Ella Rae Peck	...	Autumn
Jenna Lamia	...	Brooke
Ross Gallo	...	Josh
Tara Platt	...	Female Trainee

Storyline

Jordan Turner (Halle Berry) is an experienced 911 operator but when she makes an error in judgment and a call ends badly, Jordan is rattled and unsure if she can continue, but then teenager Casey Welson (Abigail Breslin) is abducted and calls 911. Jordan is the one called upon to use all of her experience, insights and quick thinking to try to help Casey escape and also to make sure the man is brought to justice.

---

Plot Keywords:

child kidnapping | 911 call | pixelated nudity | 21th century | 911 operator | 

---

Taglines:

There are 188 million 911 calls a year. This one made it personal.

---

Genres:

Crime | Thriller

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence, disturbing content and some language

Details

Official Sites:

Official site Official site [Japan]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

15 March 2013 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Hive

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$13,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$17,118,745, 17 March 2013, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$51,872,378

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$68,572,378

Company Credits

Production Co:

TriStar Pictures, Stage 6 Films, Troika Pictures

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

SDDS Dolby Digital Datasat

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The movie marks the second collaboration of Halle Berry and Abigail Breslin since New Year's Eve (2011).

---

Goofs

When Paul examines the tracks at the parking lot, a large part of the film-crew is visible in his sunglasses for a few seconds.

---

Quotes

Jordan Turner: Wave it, wave it, wave it!

---

Connections

Referenced in Girls: Gummies (2017)

---

Soundtracks

Devil's Dance
Composed and Performed by Richard Friedman
Courtesy of Emergency Films, LLC

User Reviews

Engrossing thriller despite a weak closing act

"The Call" is a tidy little thriller, modeled, in large part, on the movie "Speed." Halle Berry plays the Southern California 911 dispatcher who's in a race against the clock to rescue a teenage girl (Abigail Breslin) locked in the trunk of a serial killer (Michael Eklund).

Director Brad Anderson keeps the action going at a breakneck pace, providing pulse-pounding, edge-of-the-seat suspense that helps us to overlook the stray inconsistency and implausibility that wander into the narrative, particularly towards the end (the movie doesn't entirely escape the Third Act curse common to the genre). There's also an unfortunate tendency towards the sadistic that spoils some of the fun.

The really distinctive feature is that writer Richard D'Ovidio has made Jordan, the dispatcher, a compelling, easily identifiable figure by emphasizing not only her strength and craftiness but her insecurity and self-doubt as she does her best to assist people in making it through sometimes unimaginable crises.

The movie is a bit overwrought at times (again, looking at you, last half hour) and it ultimately succumbs to too many serial-killer clichés, but "The Call" is a whole lot better than many of the more highly publicized, big-budget thrillers of recent times.