In "The Caller," Jimmy Stevens(Frank Langella), who after many years of being corrupt, has a crisis of conscience that causes him to not only blow the whistle on his employers in the energy industry, but also publicly expose them as the murdering scumbags they really are. This action does not come without a price as
they would like him to take a trip to Red Hook. In return, he asks for two weeks in which he hires Frank Turlotte(Elliott Gould), a private investigator and birdwatcher, to trail him.
"The Caller" almost succeeds solely on the merits of Frank Langella's quietly commanding performance. Overall, the movie is too modest to successfully connect its thoughts on World War II, 9/11, heightened security and oil companies into a coherent statement. Otherwise, there is not much else of interest, as it tips its hand too early when it should have instead patiently allowed the details of Jimmy's life to slowly unfold through Frank's eyes. As it is, Frank's observations verge on the unbelievably unprofessional, critiquing Jimmy as the epitome of boring.(Not to judge the watcher, but this comes from a solitary man who prefers the company of birds to humans.) There is a little bit in Frank that is endearing in finding simple pleasures in unexpected places in New York City but the film narrowly defines the city as Manhattan. It is Brooklyn where Jimmy is forced to go to.
March 11, 2010
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