Quartile rating: 6.5/10 · 1 rating
Jordan Turner 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 when teenager Casey Welson is abducted in the back of a man's car and calls 911, Jordan is the one called upon to use all of her experience, insights and quick thinking to help Casey escape, and not just to save her, but to make sure the man is brought to justice.
The Call is a competent thriller that delivers solid tension in its first two acts, largely driven by the effective real-time urgency of a 911 operator guiding an abduction victim. Halle Berry and Abigail Breslin give serviceable performances that keep engagement high. However, the film loses credibility in its third act when it abandons its grounded procedural premise for a generic slasher-style finale in a underground lair, undermining the tension built earlier. Cinematography is functional but unremarkable, relying on handheld chaos without visual distinction. The concept, while executed with some energy, treads familiar thriller territory with a predictable serial killer backstory and resolution.