The Calling, 2014.
Directed by Jason Stone.
Starring Susan Sarandon, Gil Bellows, Ellen Burstyn, Topher Grace and Donald Sutherland.
SYNOPSIS:
In a sleepy small Canadian town a flawed detective attempts to track down a serial killer with a unique motivation.
The Calling is a good first effort from first time director Jason Stone with some excellent acting from its stars, but it sadly doesn’t deliver a satisfying ending. Set in a small Canadian town at the end of winter The Calling stars Susan Sarandon as deeply flawed detective Hazel Micallef who finds herself on the hunt for a serial killer.
Sarandon is the heart and soul of The Calling and the film is much better off for her performance. She makes a character that is awfully unlikeable in many ways a woman you still find yourself rooting for throughout the film, despite her failings.
Gil Bellows and Topher Grace also star in the film as police officers working under Sarandon. Bellows does a great job in a thankless and somewhat boring role. His character is the one the audience can most relate to as he offers some common sense input when Sarandon’s character is making some questionable decisions later in the film.
While Bellows and Saradon’s characters have clearly been working together for quite some time, Grace’s character is a rookie and he pulls off the ‘eager new guy’ role quite easily. Ellen Burstyn and Donald Sutherland also appear in The Calling in supporting roles.
The mystery in The Calling isn’t ‘who done it’ as we are introduced early on to the killer, but rather will he get caught? Will anyone believe Sarandon’s character? Can her small team of detectives catch such him on their own? And the most interesting question – will Detective Micallef self-destruct before she catches her man?
Setting the film in a small wintery town lends itself to a slow moving and gloomy storyline. The cinematography, costume, and production design crew all did admirable work in The Calling to bring this small isolated town to life for the audience. And while the pace of the film is slow, there are enough twists and turns to keep the audience interested in the outcome. As with most films about serial killers the sections of the film where the detectives put the pieces of the puzzle together to find their target are the most riveting parts of the film.
The film’s downfall is the serial killer’s motivation. While it’s a unique idea (which I won’t spoil here) the climax of the film and the final moments of the film just didn’t work for me. I felt like the film shifted into another gear near the end that didn’t match the rest of the film and the result felt almost silly. Which is a big problem when that clearly wasn’t the intent of the filmmakers.
I’ll be interested to see Stone’s next directing effort as he is clearly talented. I’m impressed he was able to convince so many talented actors to appear in his first feature length film and worked so well with them. If you have a chance to see The Calling I wouldn’t discourage you from taking the time to view it, but I also wouldn’t convince you to go out of your way to see it either.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★
Amy Richau is a freelance entertainment and sports writer. Follow her on Twitter.
Originally published October 8, 2014. Updated April 13, 2018.
