The Calling

"When all the sacrifices are complete God will forgive the trespasses." Hazel (Sarandon) is a detective is a town where nothing ever happens. When she stops in to see a local woman that hasn't been answering her phone she is shocked to see her murdered. When more and more bodies are found she suspects a serial killer. New officer Ben Wingate (Grace) starts to help her investigate and what they find is more chilling then they imagined. There are some movies that are very slow moving and hard to stay focused on. This is a slow moving movie that actually manages to hold your attention. This is kind of a mix of Seven and Boondock Saints in the way that the killings are related to the Bible but when you find out the reason for them you start to wonder if it's really a bad thing. This is a movie that you can not talk too much about without giving away something but I will say that I did enjoy this even though it did seem to drag in a few parts. Overall, a creepy movie that is worth seeing but you have to be in the mood for it. I give it a B.

'The Calling' is one of those movies that never tries to stand out in any way. It never tries to shock its audience and win points with extra levels of violence or shocking plot twists that leave your mouth gaping open. It is simply content being a solid, well acted film that audiences can appreciate and then most likely forget. And that's OK. It's better than a film trying to be more than what it's capable of and turning into a bombsite. Director Jason Stone, in his feature film debut, made the call to go down this route and I think it was a good decision all things considered.

The movie has a solid cast, but not an overly exciting one. Susan Sarandon, Donald Sutherland, Topher Grace, Ellen Burstyn - all fine actors, however none of them are going to steal a scene or bring a lot of energy to the film. That was one issue with the film, was that it always felt a little flat. No real action scenes or plot twists can find the movie going through the motions, discovering clue after clue, until the final showdown and then it's over. Solid, but a little tedious at times. Nevertheless it's more watchable than a number of thrillers being released today and it certainly isn't going to offend anyone. Give it a look.

The Calling (2014)

It's weird to see how routine this kind of movie has become. And how obvious the influences are. Take "Fargo" and put it Canada (same snow, some parochial setting, and same kind of earthy woman cop). Then remove all the originality and verve, and you have "The Calling."

Serial killers are of course more common in the movies than in real life, thankfully. And they all require weird methods, patterns with exceptions to the pattern, and a single (often painfully solitary) cop on the hunt. Susan Sarandon plays the cop, the good guy if you will, and I actually think she does a great job. If she can't match MacDormand in "Fargo" it's partly or mostly because of the writing and direction. In this movie, director Jason Stone in his first full length film, shows he's still learning. And borrowing from good sources. But we all know the formulae, and need more than that. Where do guys like him get budgets and approvals and a couple of great actors when there are so many talented men—and women!—who have shown more mettle and imagination in the trenches?

What remains isn't a disaster, but it's a bit of a trudge. Don't blame Sarandon, who makes it charming overall. There is an intention toward realism here, and yet the scenes are a combination of grotesque and whimsical. The murders are horrible, and beyond probably what is normal horror though I don't really know how the world of murder works. And the people are so homespun and regular, worried about their coffees of course, that they lighten up the whole movie without making it comic.

So, it's not, for sure, a disaster. I don't know that I'd call that a recommendation. There are better films of this type out there (without going to the top of the genre with "Silence of the Lambs" and so forth). But there are worse!

Some people claim they can hear the Calling, like our main bad guy in this movie. While there are some shades and he does have a goal, most of the viewers will not root for him. Of course there is controversy with a theme like that, though I'm surprised that Ebert (movie critic) gave it one of four stars.

Just the acting alone should make you feel this deserves more. Even if you don't like Susan Sarandons character, the way she portrays her and plays her is just amazing. The supporting cast is great too, though it's not a "whoddunnit", but more a "whydunnit". Though the latter might be spoiled in most reviews of the movie. I won't do that here, though I know the "reason" will not be everyones cup of tea. You'll either be engaged with this or you won't

I like intelligent mysteries, and generally avoid simple-minded cop movies. But this one makes the grade as an above-average cop film, even with the obvious comparisons that will be made with Fargo. Sarandon is not as good as Frances McDormand, but she does look good for her age. She is believable as a substance-abusing chief of police in a small town in Canada. The plot's the thing, though. Good stories make for good films, and this one is fairly original, considering all the crappy remakes of remakes that are popping up all over the place. The dialogue is crisp and the characters are believable. I also like the twists in the film; I will not reveal what they are, but they are entertaining. Sutherland gives a very nice performance, as does the rest of the cast. Worth viewing.