The Calling (2014)
Starring: Susan Sarandon, Gil Bellows, Donald Sutherland,
Ellen Burstyn, Topher Grace
Plot: Detective Hazel hasn't had much to worry about in the
sleepy town of Port Dundad until a string of gruesome murders brings her
face-to-face with a serial killer.
My Review and Thoughts:
If you know me, I love a good murder mystery, crime thriller
mixed with drama. I love films about serial killers and those seeking out to
find the truth of exactly who is killing and exactly what is going on. This is
surprisingly a very solid, good and interesting film. Very different at times.
It's got a disturbing reality to it. The acting performances are amazing. The
cast of characters are brilliantly performed.
The ensemble cast of stars create the flow of the film and
grabs the viewer from start to finish. I love when a small town is rocked in a
film by unspeakable acts. A small-town, local detective has to experience what
usually only happens in big cities. It's there first murder in four years but
this murder is different, it’s the beginning of an ongoing reality. A killer is
in their midst and his acts of brutality and staging the bodies are now getting
the attention of all the locals.
I have always been a huge Susan Sarandon fan, ever since
growing up watching her in the ultimate cult classic musical The Rocky Horror
Picture Show. She is always a gifted performer. Some of my favorite films of
all time she has performed in from The Hunger to Thelma and Louise to The
Client to Dead Man Walking. She has such a style of performing. Her beauty and
her passionate voice to narrate is so dramatic and leaves the viewer with the
sense that you know her or at least want to know her.
This is brought to the screen by a brand-new feature film director
Jason Stone. This is his debut feature film. The Calling is an absolutely interesting mystery. He does a fantastic job for a first time feature film. Jason created a film that I think radiates off the screen for the viewer. He is able
to make his film flow with ease and also creates the scenario that needs to be
done to ultimately grasp and to ultimately let the script unfold on the screen.
Amazing start to I hope an awesome film directing career.
This is based on a novel by the same name from 2008, written
under the name by Inger Ash Wolfe. His real name is Michael Redhill. Redhill is
an American-born Canadian poet, playwright and novelist. Now there are two
other books that he has written with detective character Hazel.
I love the small town feel. A dark humor reality at times
where the people are fascinated or dumb struck by the crimes. A Fargo like mentality yet smart and just a little laid back with some underlining moments of backwoods style humor.
Hazel, the head detective suffers from back problems, pops
pain pills and drinks too much. Her character is great. The whole town is a mix
of odd and interesting characters. Soon a mysterious medicine man shows up around small local towns and the odd reality furthers itself into a religious cult scenario of
resurrection.
I felt this movie was great as the mystery unfolds. I think
the viewer cannot stop watching because the characters are so interesting and
the plot changes itself and mysteriously leads you down a spiral of mystery,
religious rhetoric, cult like beliefs and a twisted idea of life and death and
suffering mixed with pain. Topher Grace was amazing as Ben, the new rookie cop on the beat, transferred by his own wish from a big city to a small city. He aces the young spunky get it done style character.
For a directors first time feature film, he really
aced it. I think the overall story is very interesting and mixes itself with an
odd reality and a take on religion and belief systems. Once the mystery unfolds
and the storyline completes itself in a believable fashion, the viewer is
satisfied in the end. Hazel comes to life with the acting of Susan Sarandon.
She is able with her amazing ability to own the character and create her
character in a suffering; most interesting dual existence scenario. The plot
and characters and ultimate direction leads the viewer to be satisfied.
I enjoyed this film and recommend it for lovers of small town police stations trying to solve a bigger case and a mix of characters weaved around the story. A great plot and a perfectly acted film. Loved the laid back, small town feel.