Thanks for the memories!

Simply Perfect

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

A clunky actioner with a handful of cool moments.

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.

I have watched the film life of Frank Langella beginning with 'The Twelve Chairs' back in the 70s'. His Charismatic ability and dynamic screen force is impressive. This movie calumniates with all the cinematic experience he has accrued over his career. 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. ****

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. Curiously Helen Stenborg doesn't appear in the IMDb credits? I throughly enjoyed each of those movies and feel that The Caller can easily be mentioned in the same breath with any of them.

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!