The Call (2013)

Starring: Halle Berry, Abigail Breslin, & Michael Eklund

Rating: 3 1/2 out of 5 stars

When it was announced that WWE was staring a film company, like most, I thought it was a joke. After some success with films like the Marine and 12 Rounds, the company earned some legitimacy and with it comes bigger talent and better Directors. The Call is the first WWE film that doesn't star a wrestler, and it was every bit as good as any Hollywood thriller that was released last year. Halle Berry stars as a 911 operator, whose worse nightmare is realized, when a kidnapping victim calls in from the trunk of a serial killers car. From there, the Call becomes 90 minutes of pure, non-stop intensity. It's hard to imagine a film that features a girl in a trunk and a woman in a call center, being as entertaining as it was, but that's where the experienced Hollywood talent comes into play. Halle Berry is not someone I consider to be a terrific actress, but she surprised me, by playing a character who had to overcome emotion and think on her feet. It quickly becomes evident that going by the book will lead to this girls death, and the operator comes up with some pretty novel ideas about how to deal with the situation. The supporting cast, which does feature an active WWE superstar, is also very good in assisting with the statewide manhunt. This film was really on pace to be one of my favorite films of the year until the ending. It was very strange, but the film gets to a certain point and then just ends. There may not have been much more of the story to tell, but the way it ended made me feel like I left the theater a few minutes early to answer an important phone call or something. It maybe a small thing to some, but to me, it really took a lot away from an otherwise terrific film. The Call is not that original, outside of the particular situation, it's a type of film you've seen many times over. It is however intense, fast paced, very entertaining, and most definitely worth the price of admission.