Halle Berry
Jordan Turner
The Call
“There are 188 million 911 calls a year. This one made it personal.”
2013
1h 36m
Director: Brad Anderson
Overview
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.
Cast
12 people
Reviews
John Chard
It’s Done! Directed by Brad Anderson and starring Halle Berry and Abigail Breslin, The Call is one of those infuriating thriller movies that destroys all its hard work with a lame last quarter. The plot is based around a 911 Emergency Call Centre, where Berry works but suffers a breakdown of sorts when an error she makes costs the life of a young girl being stalked by a maniac. Some time later and Breslin is abducted by a whacko and locked in the trunk of his car, which brings Berry back into dutiful action. Can she save the girl this time? For the most part it’s a sturdy thriller, it’s not breaking new ground or anything, but it has some good ideas and the scenes of Breslin and Berry talking on the phone are well crafted and performed. So far so tightly wound by Anderson. But there’s a point in the movie where you know exactly what is going to happen for the remainder of film. Logic, suspense and credibility is quickly replaced by a roll call of popcorn munching conventions clearly aimed at pleasing the undemanding multiplex goers. The police are buffoons but thankfully Berry, a phone operator, can do their job for them. Though this comes at a cost to Berry as well. Where earlier there was an actress playing with conviction an interesting and emotionally confused character, now she is reduced to doing the sort of dumb things that happen in laughably bad scream queen movies. Or not as the case may be in one colossal plot hole that is badly attempted to be explained away by the makers! Such a shame, because both Berry and Breslin turn in good thriller performances, and Michael Eklund is suitably nuts as the serial killer with on-going issues. But they are all better than this screenplay, and deserve better, it feels compromised after such a good start, while Anderson is clearly capable of greater things given he has Session 9, The Machinist and Transsiberian on his CV. The Call is cautiously recommended to those after a better than average thriller time waster. The lead actors are good value, the direction clean, the premise safe and the production design for the nutter’s lair suitably grotty. If only the writer and the suited financial backers could have been in sync and stayed true to the earlier tone of the pic, then this would have been a bigger hit. 6/10
Read full reviewAudience Opinions
Audience 6.9/10
"A tense, fast-moving abduction thriller driven by Halle Berry and a creepy villain, but dragged down by an implausible, polarizing ending."
The film earns praise for its gripping pace, constant tension, and the stressful cat-and-mouse dynamic between a 911 operator and a kidnapped teen, with Halle Berry and the killer both singled out as engaging and intense. The atmosphere, early jump scares, and insight into the emergency call center keep many viewers on edge and entertained. Frustration centers on a final act that leans into clichés, questionable logic, and a controversial closing scene and last line that some enjoy as nasty satisfaction but many find lazy or even ruins the experience.
What viewers praise
- Consistently high tension The story moves quickly with almost no downtime, creating a stressful, edge-of-the-seat experience for much of the runtime.
- Compelling lead performance Halle Berry’s portrayal of a seasoned but haunted 911 operator is frequently called gripping, gutsy, and far better than expected for this kind of thriller.
- Disturbing villain presence The killer is described as creepy, intense, and fascinating to watch, giving the film a strong sense of menace.
- Effective suspense and scares Early set pieces and jump scares, especially the opening and the confined-car sequences, are highlighted as genuinely nerve-wracking.
- Engaging 911 procedural angle The focus on the call center and the practical details of handling an emergency call add an interesting procedural layer that many find engrossing.
Common complaints
- Widely criticized ending The final act and closing scene are often labeled awful, lazy, or out of character, with some feeling it ruins an otherwise strong thriller.
- Predictable and familiar plot Even satisfied viewers note that the kidnapping story and many beats feel basic, overused, or not particularly creative.
- Strained logic and clichés Several character decisions and late twists are seen as unrealistic, manipulative, or built on serial-killer stereotypes.
- Uneven tone and brutality A few viewers describe the film as overly dark, morbid, or even traumatizing, especially in its more graphic or gruesome moments.
- Occasional weak details Smaller elements such as some makeup effects and certain side moments are called unconvincing or distracting.
Recommended for
Crime-thriller binge watchers Halle Berry thriller fans Kidnapping-suspense enthusiasts Dark serial-killer story fans High-tension one-sitting watches
Buzz & Rumors
Public reports“911, What’s Your Emergency?” – The Real-Life Drama Behind The Call (2013)
You thought the movie was stressful? Wait till you hear what was happening when the cameras weren’t rolling…
On-Set Drama & Close Calls
Halle Berry’s real-life 911 moment
Art didn’t just imitate life – it literally dialed it. During a fight sequence on The Call, Halle Berry tripped, hit her head, and had to be rushed to an L.A. hospital, prompting the crew to call actual emergency services. Director Brad Anderson later described it as a surreal “life-imitating-art” moment: they were shooting a movie about 911… while dialing 911 for their star 
. Thankfully, it was ultimately labeled a minor head injury and she was fine.
Abigail Breslin’s “not so great working conditions”
Playing a girl trapped in a trunk is exactly as fun as it sounds: not very. Breslin admitted on the promo circuit that she had to spend hours in that confined car trunk, joking at the New York premiere about the “not so great working conditions” . Director Brad Anderson confirmed the trunk set was deliberately tiny and claustrophobic, with minimal light, to squeeze out every drop of real panic – and it made shooting “hard and stressful” for everyone [1].
Car-trunk hell, fast-forwarded
Anderson also said the crew tried to shoot the trunk material as quickly as possible because the environment was so intense and uncomfortable, even for the crew hovering just off camera [1]. So yes, that anxiety you feel watching it? The people making it were feeling it too.
Cast Feuds & Tea (Or…the Shocking Lack of It)
A horror movie set… with wholesome vibes?
Sorry, drama-hunters: villain actor Michael Eklund described the Call set as “like a family… we cheer each other on” – a “rarity,” as he put it . Instead of diva behavior and shouting matches, he says they created their own levity between takes of kidnapping and scalp horror. Ruining our feud fantasies, but we respect it.
Abigail vs. her kidnapper – only on camera
Eklund called Breslin “one of those actresses that will give as much as she takes,” saying their dynamic was so creatively intense that “anything can happen” when the camera rolled [4]. Translation: totally feral together on screen, apparently sweet and collaborative off it.
Morris Chestnut & Halle Berry: zero messy headlines
Despite the easy chemistry between Berry and Chestnut, no credible dating or feud rumors ever surfaced. Chestnut recently called The Call an “amazing film to work on” and praised the experience in a nostalgic Facebook post marking the movie’s 13th anniversary 
. Very wholesome. Very annoying for gossip purposes.
Scandals, Wigs & WWE: The Weird Stuff
That wig. THAT WIG.
The internet has clowned Halle Berry’s Call wig for over a decade – it regularly shows up in “worst movie hair” lists and meme threads. In 2024, Berry finally spilled the origin story: > “I didn’t just make this abomination up,” she told fans. The look was inspired by a real 911 operator who walked her through an actual call center; Berry “stole it from her” for authenticity . At a special screening, fans showed up in spoof versions of the wig to honor the chaos [6]. The joke? Fully embraced.
When WWE slid into the DMs of cinema
The Call was co-produced by WWE Studios, better known for wrestlers flying off ladders than psychological thrillers. As part of the deal, WWE talent David Otunga (then famous as Jennifer Hudson’s fiancé and a Harvard-trained lawyer) appears as Officer Jake Devans. His casting raised some eyebrows in film circles as a classic corporate “we’re putting our guy in this” move, even as Variety noted the film split its modest $13 million budget between WWE and Troika Pictures 
. The twist: the movie went on to become WWE Studios’ most commercially successful film, earning over $68 million worldwide and later being hailed in trade coverage as their biggest hit [7]. Accidental power move.
Deleted Scenes, Alternate Ending & What Fans Obsess Over
The “sunset” ending you (thankfully) didn’t get
The Blu-ray reveals that an alternate ending was shot – not a crazy twist, just an extended wrap-up where Berry and Breslin’s characters walk off into the sunset together. One report described it bluntly: “nothing juicy here” . The studio wisely stuck with the harsher theatrical finish that left audiences arguing in comment sections for years.
More Hive, more lair, more serial-killer receipts
Home release extras include:
- Michael Eklund’s audition tape, where he first brought his deeply unsettling villain to life.
- A set tour of both the 911 “Hive” and the killer’s underground torture lair.
- A stunts featurette breaking down how they pulled off the abductions and car chaos [9].
Four deleted/extended scenes – including a “Call Center Class” bit and more character-focused material – were also left on the cutting-room floor .
Reddit’s favorite rabbit hole: the killer’s motive
When The Call hit Netflix and started trending again, Reddit horror fans went feral over the late-game reveal that the killer’s obsession stems from a fetishistic fixation on his dead teenage sister. One popular thread fumes about why this bombshell drops “90% into the movie,” calling it bizarre and disturbing in a way that feels out of nowhere 
. It never became a mainstream thinkpiece wave, but in horror circles, the Call discourse is very much: “Great tension, WHAT was that backstory?”
Method Madness & Emotional Bruises
Eklund went deep, and it got dark
Eklund has said he based his performance on real serial killers like Andrei Chikatilo, leaning into the idea of a seemingly ordinary family man leading a secret, horrific double life. He described the role as “emotionally exhausting,” sometimes leaving set completely wiped out – his gauge for whether he’d done his job [4]. Director Brad Anderson admitted earlier drafts gave the killer an even more detailed backstory but said test audiences liked things more black-and-white, so some of that material was pared down or left for potential extended cuts [1].
Entertainment rumors and trivia aggregated from public reporting. Treat speculation as unverified unless a cited source confirms it.
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