The Call

The Call (directed by Brad Anderson) exhibits a fine representation of a film within the thriller genre.  As an experienced emergency operator, Jordan Turner (Halle Berry) handles emergency phone calls which vary from the serious to the not-so-serious. Each call is completely different from the next. Out of nowhere, on one unsuspecting day, she receives the call. A distressed call from a teenage girl amid a possible home invasion.

Full-on suspense. Halle’s acting is pretty good. she doesn't transform into another person, but that really wasn't the purpose of the movie. I was seriously convinced that she cared deeply for the kidnapped. I'll admit, maybe I started to believe that Halle was moonlighting as an operator, or did some ride-along placement and got in too deep. Either way, good job.

One-dimensional bad-guy, This blind hate for the villain had the whole good vs. evil dichotomy thing. The safe return of the kidnapped is the only objective, with allowance given to the kidnapped to use any means necessary to escape.

No overacting from Abigail Breslin (who plays Casey Welson, the distraught kidnapped victim). She plays the role right, without going overboard with obnoxious screaming and sobbing.