The Calling (2014)
Genre: Thriller / Mystery
Duration: 108 minuten
Country:
United States / Canada / United Kingdom
Directed by: Jason Stone
Stars: Susan Sarandon, Gil Bellows and Ellen Burstyn
IMDb score:
5,9 (9.830)
Releasedate: 5 August 2014
The Calling plot
"Pray for the Prey"
Detective Hazel Micallef (Sarandon) has lived her entire life in Port Dundas, a Canadian town where nothing normally happens. When the body of a murdered elderly woman is found, Detective Hazel takes charge of the investigation. The trail leads to a ruthless serial killer driven by a higher power.
Actors and actresses
Hazel Micallef
Detective Ray Green
Emily Micallef
Ben Wingate
Father Price
Simon
Rose Batten
Grace Batten
Melanie Cartright
Dale Varney
Reviews & comments
ikkegoemikke
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- 3449 messages
- 4932 votes
“The Calling” is a thriller about a religious serial killer. Just like “Frozen Ground” it takes place on Canadian soil. Despite the star cast that plays in it (Susan Sarandon, Donald Sutherland and Topher Grace) this film turns out to be an average story that certainly does not reach the status of “Silence of the lambs”. Hazel Micallef (Susan Sarandon) is a detective in an inconspicuous small town where criminals apparently give a wide berth because there is really nothing to do in the area of crime. Micallef has her own personal problems in which alcohol and painkillers play an eminent role and because of which she apparently spends more time at her bedside than in it. The recovery of an old woman with a surgically cut throat is the start of an in-depth investigation that leads to a serial killer who bases his actions on an old religious story. Micallef, her colleague Ray (Gil Bellows) and newcomer Ben Wingate (Topher Grace) get their teeth into this case. Topher has another role where his sad expression comes in handy. And Sutherland is called in to explain the whole thing in his well-known style and as a Santa Claus-like priest. As a result, the perpetrator is known very early in this film and there is not much tension. Simon (Christopher Heyerdahl) is introduced very early in the film: a charismatic and imposing character who parades around completely in black and with a perfectly trimmed gray beard. He is the kind of appearance that immediately gives you the feeling that he is a reborn Jesus figure. In the end, this is just an average TV movie, with beautiful outdoor shots and absolutely no tension. Perhaps the denouement can still cause some commotion among some. To me, it came across as rather poor and predictable.
2.5*
Translated from Dutch · View original
scorsese
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- 13232 messages
- 11124 votes
Good film in which a detective from a small town has to deal with a serial killer. A fairly standard thriller about a serial killer is certainly not original and the story therefore does not surprise anywhere. The film does manage to create the right atmosphere and has a nice, quiet pace. Partly due to the excellent cast a narrow 3.5 stars.
Translated from Dutch · View original
Collins
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- 7346 messages
- 4345 votes
The Calling is an unhurried but also exciting thriller. A thriller that does without spectacular action scenes. The film convinces with a wonderfully gloomy setting and a pleasantly uncomplicated appearance. In addition, the film has a great leading actress in Susan Sarandon.
The Calling tells a fascinating story. A serial killer is the reason for an exciting cat and mouse game between the murderer and the police. The murderer is active in a sleepy and snowy town. An atmospheric setting. The alcoholic and melancholic local sheriff (Sarandon) fits in perfectly. Topher Grace plays the other important role. He is her colleague and the opposite of Sarandon. Fresh, young, curious and full of drive. The Calling not only tells an exciting story but also invests in its characters.
Director Jason Stone does it modestly and does not allow himself to be seduced by visual intensity. The narrative style is calm. The tension simmers under the surface. That is precisely why Stone succeeds in occasionally tightening the tension a little more with an occasional change of pace, the meticulous staging of a dangerous situation and a penetrating approach to the characters. Another exciting element is represented by the character of the serial killer. The character is not a brutal monster but shows human traits. The murderer occasionally seems like a humanitarian. It is precisely that characteristic that makes the character so disturbing.
The story is not necessarily innovative, but it is fascinating. The case is interesting and nicely detailed. The acting is simply good and the characters are interesting, although here and there equipped with some clichéd characteristics. Not disturbing, I found. Good film.
Translated from Dutch · View original
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