The Caller

Plot synopsis:
When troubled divorcee Mary Kee sets up home in her new apartment, she stumbles across an old telephone which she quickly falls in love with. Struck by its antique charm, she gives it a place of pride in her home. Before long, Mary begins to receive strange phone calls from a mysterious, unknown caller. Over time, she discovers that the caller is a woman named Rose, and the two strike up an unlikely friendship. However, when Rose claims to be calling from the past, Mary begins to question her new friend's motives.
As Rose's phone calls become ever more disturbing, Mary's sense of terror escalates. Feeling haunted in her own home, she cuts all contact with Rose. Enraged by Mary's betrayal, Rose threatens to exact her terrible revenge. Not on Mary in the present but on Mary as a child in the past. Mary finally realizes that she will have to kill Rose in order to save herself. But how can she kill someone living in the past?
She fails. Rose pours hot grease on the young Mary Kee causing the adult Mary Kee to wretch with her new burn scars. After this Mary Kee tries to kill Rose by inviting her to a birthday party at a bowling alley she knew would catch fire and burn, killing all in it. Rose misses the bus and the plan fails, so Rose has the young Mary talk to the adult Mary on a day that the old Rose attempted to barge in and kill her. Mary coaches the young Mary to break a mirror and use the shards to kill Rose, thus ending the attack and the calls, but Mary's abusive husband, Steven reappears, she asks him to leave or he may be sorry, as he denies to go Mary kills him.

Tags: murder

Review:
I saw this at Cinequest in San Jose, in the gorgeous California Theater, but this movie would look good in the homeliest cineplex.
This is the rarest of thrillers: one that makes its impact through careful character studies and a refusal to give up its secrets.
Frank Langella gives a sterling performance as the corporate whistle-blower marked for death, subtle and surprising in its emotional power.
Elliott Gould isn't quite as effective as a private detective/birder, but he is very watchable as he watches his subjects, both human and avian.
"The Caller" actually looks more like a fine French drama, in its attention to detail and the deft use of its child actors.
Definitely worth watching!.
An interesting film to contemplate.
This was really quite a good movie, but not necessarily one for "consumers" of movies not accustomed to dialog between characters, or those who expect the meaning to reside primarily in the plot.
In this film, the minute details of who is trying to kill the protagonist and exactly why, is purposely left vague.
This is a character study, and examines the fundamental truth, that each of us is isolated in the universal moments of their life, such as death.
Simply sharing that moment with someone, confirms the profound meaning of the human connection.
I also appreciate that this film presents mature actors in an way that does not reduce them to stereotype.
Other cultures, still portray a broad spectrum of characters in their films, allowing different age groups and generations to interact in meaningful ways.
It's refreshing to see this in an American film.In summing up, I think this movie has more meaning for those more than half-way through their journey in life..
" If at the end of your life, you find yourself waiting, you've lived a good life ".
I have watched the film life of Frank Langella beginning with 'The Twelve Chairs' back in the 70s'.
The film is entitled " The Caller." If you are expecting a lot of action, thrills or explosive drama, this is not one of them.
Instead, what one sees is the story of an aged Executive who has seen enough corporate destruction to fill his conscience and like most humanitarians, wants to atone for his part.
Langella plays Jimmy Stevens an ex-CEO of a multi-Billion dollar corporation which continues to destroy 3rd world countries without remorse.
Planting the seeds of failure within the corporation, Stevens knows he will be marked for death.
Realizing he has become a target, Jimmy hires private investigator Frank Turlotte (Elliott Gould) to be a witness during his last days.
The movie becomes a death watch for a man who has learned in his youth, that death, even when slow in arriving, is death none-the-less and there is nothing to do but wait and reminisce.
Touching in its inception, the film is a remarkable heartfelt legacy of humanity realizing its own destruction.
This film will no doubt become a milestone for Langella which will culminate in becoming a Classic.
This film is not about corporate scandal, suspense or mystery; all those elements were simply the vehicle to get to the point: Death & how one deals with inevitable death.
The story is extremely contrived and overly elaborate, which became dull and frustrating because every single character, item or action is just a device to metaphor.At the end, the plot really isn't important nor the characters because the film intentionally presents every one as a wooden puppet without the slightest emotion or expression (The golden rule of filming art: do not smile, remain expressionless, and add bleak).It ends as you expect it to: The same death metaphor and the same dreadful indictment against the capitalistic brutalities in every other film..
The plot has many elements that are similar to The Conversation but they are much more direct.
I believe this allowed the characters to be more compelling as the viewer's brain isn't constantly spinning in an effort to solve the puzzle.
Like most of the characters you'll probably know how things are going to end early on.
Usually I would be disappointed in a movie that I knew the outcome only minutes after it began but the strong performances allowed me to attach myself to theme of the finite nature of our existence.
I would've liked to have seen Laura Harring's character introduced sooner and the relationship further developed but I understand that not being much to it was the point.That is all pretty general but if you like these movies and or performances I think that you'll enjoy The Caller.As previously stated The Conversation has many similar elements.
Elliot Gould is every bit the equal of Gene Hackman, although I doubt any of the young male actors become Harrison Ford.The Fall has a similarly age mismatched relationship with a precocious young girl struggling to come to terms with very adult issues.Frank Langella's performance reminded me of a less menacing Laurence Olivier in Marathon Man. Maybe it was the WWII age character roaming around NYC?
I also found a connection between the mother and Yoda but I don't necessarily think this is for Star Wars fans.
I throughly enjoyed each of those movies and feel that The Caller can easily be mentioned in the same breath with any of them..
A Good Film, but Very Slow.
Don't walk in to "The Caller" expecting any explosions or nudity, because you won't get it.
(In fact I believe only one gunshot is used in the film).Frank Langella and Elliot Gould, arguably two of Hollywood's most underrated, star in this sleeper thriller that follows Jimmy Stevens (Langella), an energy analyst who had recently sent out damaging information to his company via e-mail.
He realizes that he will most likely be executed because of it and he has a Private Detective (Gould) follow him on what will most likely be his last days, the Detective unaware that the man who hired him and the man who he's tailing are the same.I liked "The Caller", but it ran a bit slow.
Langella and Gould have two of the most relaxing voices and demeanors on the planet (at least to me) so their many scenes of dialog were almost fascinating.
But the lack of almost any action will probably ward off any Die Hard or Rambo fan.
Use "Public Enemies" for an example; a fine film that may talk too much and not thrill enough.The central theme of the film seems to be death, and it is represented very well in the flashbacks of Langella's character.
He is a haunted man who is ready to meet his maker, and ready to end it by outing the company he works for.
Langella and Gould are perfect for their roles."The Caller" is a very good film if you are in a thinking mood, but not if you are ready for any amount of action.
I always think to myself , 'if I can bear to watch a movie 5 times or more then it's not so bad', and this movie was for me extremely watchable but mainly because of the great actors involved, Frank Langella and Elliott Gould.
I suppose if it had been made with lesser talent, a contrived story like this would have been hard to take, but it is interesting how the two men come together after 60 plus years, in order for both to seek closure from a destroyed childhood in Nazi occupied France.It's as mysterious and compelling as any other drama I've seen of this sort.
Laura Harring, who plays Langella's lover, is one of the most sensuous actresses around, she's perfect in the part, as enigmatic and subtle as Elliott Gould and Frank Langella..
A great film for film students to watch as it's been said one can learn the most from the most bungled projects.
The endless use of trite symbolism, pointless bits of plot, total lack of character development make this a mess based on someone's unedited, overloaded psyche.What might suck you in as it did me, is that Langella and Gould are fine actors and always interesting to look at.
How many times have we seen that f trope?
Wow, one of the main characters likes children....what a heckuva guy!
Wow, someone feels guilty for helping a corporation kill innocents in pursuit of profit (when does that ever happen in real life?).
Elliot Gould and Frank Langella have cut their credibility in half with me (though everyone should see him as Nixon) for taking whatever money they took to star in this thoroughly inept, amateurish tangle..
This is one of those films that never gets off the mark.
It has an interesting premise, but then it's characters stop communicating.
I'm kind of an embrace life guy and if we are going to go out, do it in a blaze of glory.
Here we have a man resolved to die.
He determines it is necessary to disguise his true identity to perform his mission, but in doing so he loses the faith of the caller.
The caller cannot clearly explain what it is he hopes for from the arrangement, which jeopardizes the partnership.
I wish I had it so I could have shot myself and saved myself from watching this pretentious piece of refuse.
This movie is dull, uneventful, and slower than a snail.
The first 45 minutes seemed like they took 3 hours to watch.
It goes nowhere, is poorly written, and is filled with trivial scenes which simply waste your time and are not germane to the plot.Do yourself a favor and do not waste your money nor time on this wreck of a film.
After reading other peoples reviews all I can figure from those who rated this nonsense highly are so high on their own farts they can't see straight..
The Caller?
Obviously no one was at home in this film..
I've seen thousands of movies and this with out a doubt ranks down there way at the bottom.
Please save your time and just take a nap or something; I've seen home movies better than this.
Now, the actors were okay; the story line was horrible.
The scenery was ordinary, the traffic was as good as I've seen.
It's just about as interesting as watching grass grow.
Superb acting; subtle plot.
This film is very different from the one characterized in the posted review.
So different that I wonder if the reviewer watched the film or was told about it.
The protagonist,Jimmy, beautifully acted by Frank Langella, was not seeking suicide.
Jimmy's friend Lulu helped him survive as a Jew in WW2 France.
In a carefully written and photographed sequence, Lulu bears witness to the death of a civilian murdered by Nazis, thereby giving meaning and history to that death.
Jimmy hires Turlotte/Lulu (played by Elliot Gould with amazing subtlety) to bear witness to his life and death, thereby making Jimmy's act sacrificial.
Jimmy was murdered by contract killers hired by an executive from the corporation.
(I always wondered who paid, and why they invested, enormous sums to mediocre artists for their drivel) There are more errors both factual and intellectual in the posted review, but if you have read this far I urge you to see "The Caller" as it is time well spent..
Characters are introduced just to look nice.
The little girl in the park, the attractive blues singer who I suppose the main protagonist is having an affair with – who are these people and why are they in the movie?
At the end of the movie as he lies dying, there is an aerial shot of the Statue of Liberty - why?
There are a lot of other art shots for the sake of prettiness that annoy you as this film drags on.
I was hoping for some kind of wrap-up but there was none.I like Frank Langella but the mood is very somber and this film has no real meaning to me..
In order to begin with the good : the movie is beautifully filmed, with interesting imagery and vivid locations.
Some of the minor themes are unusually brave for a thriller, such as modern capitalism's godawful record with regard to Third World countries.
Finally protagonists Langella and Gould deliver beautifully nuanced, compelling, nay riveting performances.
However, I rather get the impression that both are such fine actors that they could glue audiences to their seats simply by reading from a 1995 "State of the Union" Digest...
Whether the movie itself is riveting is quite another matter.
I would answer "no", although other viewers (and reviewers) will be sure to disagree.
There is an unusual central conceit here, but in my opinion it is not as profound, worthwhile or captivating as it thinks it is.Still, the movie does at least treat the viewer as a fully-grown adult who is capable of watching a slow-moving story without great big dollops of gore, violence or jump scares.
90 Minutes of Wasted Time..
I Cant believe i Wasted 90 Minutes of my life watching this,No Action,Not Thrilling,Garbage.This film is very different from the one in Other Reviews.
So different that I wonder if the reviewer watched the film or was told about it by Somebody involved in the Making of it??..
The protagonist,Jimmy,was not seeking suicide.
A contract murderer was hired by his company to stop him from doing further damage to the them.
A contract murderer was hired by his company to stop him from doing further damage to the them.
He was convicted in conscience by guilt over what his company was doing, which was gaining control of Third World nations and sanctioning ruthless acts against the people.
Jimmy's friend Lulu helped him survive as a Jew in WW2 France.Lulu bears witness to the death of a civilian murdered by Nazis, thereby giving meaning and history to that death.
Jimmy discovers through a newspaper article that Lulu has grown up to be a witness, a detective who sees and carries the stories of what he has seen..
Jimmy discovers through a newspaper article that Lulu has grown up to be a witness, a detective who sees and carries the stories of what he has seen..
This is one of those films that just lays there and screams "LOOK AT ME!
I'M SO DAMNED MEANINGFUL, AREN'T I?" Before it was halfway over, all I wanted to scream back was "NO!
The plot is largely built on a mystery that it all but gives away within the 1st 15 minutes.
T he viewer is left to just sit there and stew, waiting for the film to finally get around to what you already know is coming.
And when the plot isn't dawdling over non-mysterious mysteries, it relies on contrivances straight out of a 1970s political thriller.
Nothing the main character does makes a lick of sense.
Two essentially brand new characters are introduced at the midpoint of the movie to keep dragging the exhausted narrative along.
Oh, and Elliot Gould walks around with a mustache that looks like it's trying to eat the lower half of his face.The story begins in 1944 France as two young boys flee from the war into the woods, jumps forward to post 9/11 New York City and an old dude riding around in a town care and then flashes back to 1940 France where a tow-headed boy talks about fairies with his mother.
After that inauspicious beginning, I should have known what I was in for.The old dude turns out to be Jimmy (Frank Langella), a financial analyst who is a cog in the global machine that traps developing countries into inescapable debt.
Then, in a not terribly clear manner, Jimmy double crosses his associates and when he knows they're planning to kill him, asks for two more weeks to live.
That's so Jimmy can disguise his voice and hire a private investigator named Frank (Elliot Gould) over the phone.
Jimmy asks Frank to follow him around and report what he sees, with Frank not knowing he's spying on the guy who hired him.
And yes, it turns out that Jimmy and Frank are the two young boys from 1944 France.
The movie doesn't make that explicit until later on, but there's never any other explanation offered up.The whole Frank following Jimmy for Jimmy thing peters out after a while, and that's when we're fully introduced to Eileen (Laura Harring), Jimmy's sophisticated girlfriend and Lila (Anabel Sosa), a young girl that Jimmy has befriended in a very non "To Catch A Predator" way.
Laura Harring is impressively sexy, except when she's doing some very karaoke-ish night club singing, but Eileen and Lila are really just there to give Jimmy an excuse to explain the whole Jimmy-Frank mystery that anyone in the audience with 1/4th of a brain had already mostly figured out on their own.The film ends with the bad guys trying to kill Jimmy and Frank driving a mid-sized pleasure boat, of all things, to the rescue.
By this point, I was so disgusted with this whole thing that I desperately wanted the monster from Cloverfield to show up and eat everybody.Frank Langella and Gould are superb actors.
Here, however, they're tasked with finding interesting ways to be dull.
The effect is a little like watching someone comb and style their own pubic hair.
Even when you recognize they're doing a good job, it's still not anything you want to look at.I suppose if The Caller hadn't spelled out early on the "secret" relationship between Jimmy and Frank, hadn't revealed to the viewer that Jimmy was the one who hired Frank and didn't clearly illustrate why Jimmy was doing what he was doing, this might possibly have been a slightly intriguing motion picture.
What it ends up being is proof that if you start out with an utterly ridiculous and even more obvious story, you can try and film it in the slowest, most self-important way possible and the ridiculous obviousness will still overwhelm any attempt to class it up.