The Call (15)

Sometimes, it is possible to have the near-perfect cinema experience - turn up in time to miss the adverts, every trailer looks like a great film (Gravity, Prisoners, Runner Runner and The Fifth Estate as you ask), cinema is almost empty and everyone is quiet.

All you need now is the perfect film and you need never go to the cinema - you've peaked, you're done, it's never going to get better.

Unless you see something like The Call.

Now, I want to be clear from the get-go here, The Call isn't a bad film. But it's not great. And that's because it's struggling to know what sort of film it is.

The premise is good. Halle Berry plays Jordan, an experienced 911 operator who switches to teaching after an unfortunate event while on duty. She's then called back to the phone when a young girl (Casey, played well by Abigail Breslin, she of Little Miss Sunshine fame) is kidnapped in a mall's parking lot (or shopping centre car park if you will).

The action is fast-paced as the race begins to try and track down Casey before madman Michael (an excellent Michael Eklund in possibly one of his highest profile roles to date) does what all bonkers madmen do.

The tension works, and when it focuses on the characters and the drama it's gripping - I jumped twice, so clearly I was immersed in what was going on.

Sadly, there are other moments where Anderson (who has been working in TV land since 2008's Tanssiberian) doesn't know quite what film he's making.

He's clearly no slouch behind the lens - he made The Machinist, after all - but switching from tense action to bits of Buried and Saw just doesn't work. The overt violence undoes all the good work that's been put in building up the tension.

And that's a massive shame, because the performances deserve more.

Berry is back to her best - almost to the point of making you forget Catwoman ever existed - while young Breslin (who has quite the CV for one of such tender years) is convincing as a teenager facing certain death while holed up in the trunk (or boot if you will) of a car.

As for Eklund, he is mesmerising as Michael, a man who has issues where young blonde women are concerned.

Sure, there are some blindingly obvious plot points that come along with a full fanfare, but you can kinda forgive those as you're wrapped up in the drama at those points.

It's the close-ups used to try and create a pseudo-horror element that make things fall down. They're out of kilter with what else is going on and actually detract from the suspense. One minute you're on the edge of your seat, next you're slumped back, shaking your head.

Which is a crying shame. Ignore those bits though, and you've got a good, solid thriller.

Until you get to the ending.

There are actually two. There's the ending you want, the ending that feels right and natural... and then there's the one Anderson felt was necessary.

I'm not going to spoil anything here, but if you don't find yourself wanting to stand up, shout 'oh, come on!' and storm out, I'll be amazed.

And the cinema clearly agrees because the house lights actually came up five minutes early - which was when the credits should have been rolling.

Still, like I said, The Call has its moments.

You care about the characters, you can forgive the clunky dialogue in places, and it does keep you gripped for long spells.

It's just a shame the director had to ruin it all at the end. Maybe he's better when he's doing hour-long TV episodes these days.