Jordan (Berry) is an emergency line operator in Los Angeles who one night gets a panicked call from a teen who's being stalked in her house. But Jordan makes a mistake that puts the girl in danger. Six months later, she's removed herself to a training role, but ends up on a call with another teen, Casey (Breslin), who has been captured by the same villain (Eklund) and locked in the boot of a moving car. And finding her will require both high-tech trickery and old-fashioned sleuthing.

Since we know what this man is capable of, the intensity builds steadily as Jordan cleverly deals with the call and gives Casey useful advice. But we also see things from Casey's point of view, as well as that of the seriously deranged kidnapper, a passerby (Imperioli) who tries to help, and Jordan's cop ex-boyfriend (Chestnut), who responds to the call and sets out in pursuit. Watching from all of these perspectives diffuses the suspense but ratchets up the emotional intensity.

Director Anderson shoots and edits the film with a fierce sense of energy, barely pausing for breath. Both Berry and Breslin deliver wrenching, full-on performances that require them to go into dark emotional places. Berry's role is viscerally internalised, so when the narrative pauses to catch its breath, our brains are racing as fast as Jordan's. By contrast, Breslin has to be much more physical, especially in the rather gonzo final third when the kidnapper drags her to his grotesque lair.

While the plot plays out like a typical crime thriller, the tone is much more resonant than we expect. Even so, the story goes into some outrageously grisly corners, depicting sadistic violence at levels beyond what was strictly necessary, while the final act gets rather corny when Jordan randomly decides to do some fieldwork without any backup. But the stakes are so high that we accept her uncharacteristic lapse and hang on for dear life.

themes, language, violence

29.Aug.13