Warning: This article contains The call spoilers. But you’ve also had nine years to see it, so it’s kind of on you.
It’s crazy that we’re here giving out spoiler warnings for a movie that’s been out for almost a decade, and yet here we are. Our current age of streaming means that any movie or show from the past can be rediscovered and made even bigger than it was when it was first released, and at any time. The latest movie to get this kind of boost is The call, a 2013 psychological thriller that hit Netflix last week on April 10 and immediately seemed to thrive. The R-rated film (not to be confused with the 2020 South Korean thriller of the same name) is currently among Netflix’s top 10 most-watched titles in the US, further adding to its growing popularity.
But of course, this new wave of viewers means there are new people to ask questions like, “So what’s up? The call about more, you know, a call? and “What the hell did the end of The call average?” No worries, folks, whether you’re new to this movie or someone who watched it years ago and is still wondering what happened in the world, we’re here to help answer your burning questions You might even say that we are here to help answer your… call.
WHAT THE CALL IN REGARDS TO? THE CALL PLOT SUMMARY:
Directed by Brad Anderson and written by Richard D’Ovidio, The call follows Jordan Turner (Halle Berry), a longtime LAPD 9-1-1 operator. She’s used to dealing with tough situations and trying to save lives on a daily basis, but still finds herself utterly devastated when she’s unable to help 15-year-old Leah Templeton (Evie Thompson), who was murdered by a intruder at home after Jordan’s assassination. The callback to the teenager reveals the girl’s intruder to the man who had broken in. When the killer answers Jordan’s call, she tries to dissuade him from committing the crime, to which he replies, “It’s already done”, before hanging up.
Feeling broken and partially responsible for this tragedy, Jordan decides to give up the job, leaving behind field calls, then six months later dedicating herself to training others to become 9- 1-1 capable. But when rookie operator Brooke (Jenna Lamia) is unable to handle an intense, high-pressure call from kidnapped teenager Casey Welson (Abigail Breslin), Jordan is forced to take matters into his own hands, luring the seasoned vet on the highest stakes and difficult rescue attempt of his career in order to save Casey’s life.
Jordan tries to trace Casey’s call, but cannot because it was from a burn-in phone. All she knows is that a man named Michael grabbed Casey in a mall parking lot and then locked her in the trunk of his car. While Casey is still on the line, Jordan asks her to turn off one of the car’s taillights to make it easier to find the car, as well as alert people around that she’s in trouble. It seems to work when a woman spots Casey’s arm as she turns off the light before calling 9-1-1 from a GPS-trackable phone, but Michael understands and quickly avoids being captured.
Refusing to give up, Jordan learns that Casey found a can of paint in the trunk and orders him to pour the paint out of the broken light to get attention. That works! Alan Denado (Michael Imperioli), another pilot, notices the paint and goes to help Casey. Hit? Sadly, no, as Michael takes quick action to knock Alan unconscious, stuff him in the car with Casey, and ultimately stab him to death. When they stop at a gas station shortly after, Casey tries to get help, but Micael, still the buzzkill, disposes of the attendant who notices Casey’s call by burning him alive.
When Alan and Casey finally arrive at the former’s destination, he finally discovers Casey’s burn-in phone and that she’s been on the line with 9-1-1 the whole time. After abducting him, he overhears Jordan informing him that the police know his identity, Michael Foster (Michael Eklund), and advises him to turn himself in. But when his only response before hanging up is “It’s already done,” Jordan is faced with the horrifying realization that Michael is the same man who killed Leah all those months ago, which makes it all the more personal for him. the former emergency operator.
It may seem like Michael is cornered, but things just go wild from here, folks (which is probably why people have so many questions about the ending).
WHAT IS THE THE CALL THE END EXPLAINED?
Led by Jordan’s boyfriend, Officer Paul Phillips (Morris Chestnut), the police raid Michael’s home, looking for the criminal’s wife and children. Paul sees a photo of Micheal’s sister and realizes she looks shockingly like Casey, and also learns that while the house in the photo has since burned down, there is still a cottage nearby. A police search of the cabin reveals nothing so they leave, but Jordan senses something is up and goes to the cabin herself, where she finds numerous pictures of Michael and his sister, who is revealed to have suffered from leukemia.
When Jordan exits, she recognizes the sound of a nearby mast as the one she heard at the end of her call, reinvigorating her search for Casey, who she now knows is nearby. She eventually finds a cellar door hidden by dirt where the burnt house once stood and accidentally drops her cell phone into the hole. As he ventures out to retrieve it, several very disturbing things about Michael become clear: he had romantic feelings for his sister and became deeply depressed after her death from cancer. He has a prop head which he treats like his sister. He scalped and killed young girls with blonde hair similar to his sister’s in an effort to find a scalp to match the hair she had lost during her chemo.
In the midst of it all, Michael tortures Casey. As he goes to scalp her, they are discovered by Jordan, leading to a fight which involves Casey stabbing Michael in the back with scissors, the two women pushing him into the cellar (thus rendering him unconscious) and tying him to a chair. Michael eventually comes to, only to be told he will be left here to die. They’ve already formed a plan to pretend Casey escaped and Jordan found her in the woods, leading everyone to the conclusion that Michael got up and disappeared.
Backed into a corner, Michael taunts and berates the women before finally begging for his life like the sad, desperate creature that he is. He tells them they can’t do this to him, to which Jordan replies epically, “It’s already done”, before locking the door, leaving him for dead. So maybe not the happiest ending, but at least one with sweet, sweet retribution for Jordan and Casey, who can walk away, free and alive, forever rid of their common tormentor.
where to watch The call
