Film

The Caller (2008)

Movie review

From Short Review - NY

** (Two stars)
Imagine a John Grisham novel rewritten in the language of Ikea-catalog instructions and you’ll get a general sense of The Caller, a thriller saddled with the pacing of an inept and awkwardly constructed drama. Jimmy Stevens (Frank Langella) is an analyst for E.N. Corp, a shady company that helps other shady companies get bogus contracts in Third World countries. When Jimmy gets a conscience and exposes his colleagues’ scam, a hit man is summoned. Knowing that his time is limited, our (non)hero anonymously hires a PI named Frank Turlotte (Elliott Gould) to keep tabs on...him. No Philip Marlowe, Frank spends most of the film plodding along without a clue. “The subject appears to lead a very monotonous life,” the investigator reports back. (He said it, not us.)

When the two men finally meet, their painfully stilted conversations emit isolated puffs of plot development, but not enough to suture together this story, which lethargically attempts to rein in subplots involving WWII France, a greedy artist and bird-watching. The filmmakers might have been better off if they’d let themselves go a little crazy. As it is, The Caller is ruined by its forced plot and failed aspirations for eccentricity. Our suggestion: Don't answer.—Michael Miller, Books editor

[This is a TONY staff review, written for the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival. It is not considered an official review and should not be read as such. Please think of it as a casual impression from a movie-loving friend.] 

---

• 
•