"Port of Call" is a thriller definitely not for everybody, it walks a very fragile line of uncomfortable vices. The approach is done as realistically as possible with crude language and plenty of outright yelling. The scenes are not grand thriller, it's muddied yet invitingly dark, though slightly hampered by odd burst in the pacing.
The movie, on the surface, is a story about certain crime investigation. A young girl is missing and a detective digs into her life and associates. The more he uncovers the more secrets this young lady harbored, soon it's a one way trip into drugs and murder. One strangely twisted beautiful thing about this is how the story of the woman, her concerned and hopes, is told after the crime.
It's an intimately gripping thriller, and the risqué parts are done with finesse, but it might deter the audience with the hectic pace. Transition between investigation and the past can overlap as the movie is divided into chapters, which in turns reveal particular people's connection and aspects of their lives.
This can be dauntingly diverse since the information overload is felt throughout and the shift occurs very fast. It's as though several jigsaw puzzles are thrown in random order, it may fit eventually but it's likely to confuse audience early on. It's not intended for a cerebral crime and more of one with passion.
There's ample of human drama and struggle in "port of Call", admittedly it's engagingly dark, however an occasional plodding sidetrack might be too distracting for the investigation viewpoint.
