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The Calling

The Calling (2014)

August. 05,2014
|
5.9
|
R
| Thriller

Detective Hazel Micallef hasn't had much to worry about in the sleepy town of Port Dundas until a string of gruesome murders in the surrounding countryside brings her face to face with a serial killer driven by a higher calling.

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Reviews

Linbeymusol
2014/08/05

Wonderful character development!

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Ehirerapp
2014/08/06

Waste of time

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PlatinumRead
2014/08/07

Just so...so bad

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Dana
2014/08/08

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

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Leofwine_draca
2014/08/09

THE CALLING is a mid budget Canadian serial killer thriller that seems to have been conceived as a complete rip-off of FARGO, with Susan Sarandon playing another ageing female cop who has been directly modelled on Frances McDormand in that film. The hunt is on for a serial killer with a bizarre modus operandi, but the viewer is given the killer's identity early on, leaving the rest a pointless exercise in water-treading.The film has a bland look to it and not much in the way of atmosphere. It kept me watching but I never felt as involved in the story as I should. Sarandon is okay but seems a bit tired, although those in support such as Gil Bellows and Donald Sutherland give solid turns. There's some mild gruesomeness but the killer is a bit subdued and the religious theme was done better in a little-seen SEVEN rip-off I really dig called RESURRECTION.

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jtindahouse
2014/08/10

'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.

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BrianLlywd
2014/08/11

Despite a few plot flaws, this picture was way better than anticipated. If a thriller is only really good if compelling then this one is a winner. Sarandan is a small town copper who trips over a serial killer, manages to manage a predilection for whiskey (can't blame her for that) manages to connect the dots, and manages to find and follow the leads to a tension filled conclusion. Donald Sutherland, as an ageing priest, is as he always is... wearing a role like a comfortable suit of vraiments. Gil Bellows (who I liked so much in 3 Days in Havana) takes himself up another step in my appreciation. My fellow watcher commented that it's like a Dan Brown movie... but good. And I agree.

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secondtake
2014/08/12

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!

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