By Keeva Stratton

When a 911 operator, Jordan (Halle Berry), is witness to an awful crime, it hits her hard. Feeling responsible for not being able to help a young girl (who is eventually found murdered), she shifts from answering the emergency phones to training new staff to answer 911 calls.

During one of these training sessions, another young girl encounters the same kidnapper and Jordan is forced back onto the phones to face what she’s been hit hard by—the possibility of losing another young girl. Until this young girl’s battery runs out, Jordan must keep her calm, while helping to find her.

The Call is an intense thriller designed to push the buttons of the modern audience. With fast paced scenes and gore throughout, it offers a never-relenting chase. The trade-off, however, is depth of character and plot.

Halle Berry looks undeniably defiant of her 46 years, and is better than usual in her performance as the under-duress phone operator. A grown up Abigail Breslin (the little miss from Little Miss Sunshine) as the kidnapped teen, is well cast. As with many child actors, Breslin clearly has talent, but her less than conventional (read Hollywood) looks threaten to restrain her to offbeat roles. (Hopefully this will not be her fate.)

As an undemanding popcorn thriller, I think the film works quite well. It delivers thrills, suspense and a suitably villainous villain. But the cinemagoer seeking a thriller of any complexity will no doubt be left more than a little wanting.

Directed by: Brad Anderson
Starring: Halle Berry, Abigail Breslin
Rating: MA15+
Runtime: 94min
Release Date: May 16
Reviewer rating: 3/5