SnoopyStyle Hazel Micallef (Susan Sarandon) is the detective superintendent of the small quiet town of Fort Dundas, Ontario, Canada. She likes her liquor and pills. She's recovering from back problems and OD hospitalization. Her mother (Ellen Burstyn) is concerned. She finds an elder almost decapitated. It's the first murder in four years. Detective Ray Green (Gil Bellows) asks for outside help but she rejects the concern. Ben Wingate (Topher Grace) is the new deputy arriving from Toronto. Another murder occurs in a nearby jurisdiction and they're called in. The victim's stomach has been removed and fed to the dogs. Hazel asks for help fearing a serial killer but is rejected. As more victims are uncovered, they find their mouths have been manipulated and Father Price (Donald Sutherland) is consulted. Meanwhile, a waitress (Kristin Booth) invites a mystery man (Christopher Heyerdahl) to her home to treat her terribly ill daughter.This cast is surprisingly first rate for a small Canadian serial killer movie. It has a quiet moodiness similar to those Scandinavian killing films. It does have a bit of humor which differentiates it and gives it its Canadianishness. It's an enticing serial killer movie even if it's a little slow. There isn't any mystery as the killer is shown early on. It is very questionable that this small town police officer is hopping across the country without contacting the local cops. The murders are not maximum compelling due to the cooperating victims. The big time cast keeps it interesting but it's not quite the moody indie thriller it hopes to be. The last act is over-extended. The killer returns back to the town which erases one of the killing's premise. All in all, it's a flawed but interesting film.

Gordon-11 This film tells the story of a female detective in a quiet small town, who is addicted to alcohol and pills. Her great friend is murdered one day, and she sets out to find the murderer. Two days later, another murder occurs, and she is determined to get to the bottom of it."The Calling" starts off very slow, and I have to say I was about to lose interest in it. Fortunately, the plot turns very engaging soon after the second murder occurs. The puzzle presented here is certainly different from other crime films, which makes this film more captivating. Topher Grace is very good as a young policeman who is intelligent and dedicated. Susan Sarandon looks very good in the film, and I can't quite believe she is already over seventy. I enjoyed this film, and I would recommend it to others.

Leofwine_draca THE CALLING is a mid budget Canadian serial killer thriller that seems to have been conceived as a complete rip-off of FARGO, with Susan Sarandon playing another ageing female cop who has been directly modelled on Frances McDormand in that film. The hunt is on for a serial killer with a bizarre modus operandi, but the viewer is given the killer's identity early on, leaving the rest a pointless exercise in water-treading.The film has a bland look to it and not much in the way of atmosphere. It kept me watching but I never felt as involved in the story as I should. Sarandon is okay but seems a bit tired, although those in support such as Gil Bellows and Donald Sutherland give solid turns. There's some mild gruesomeness but the killer is a bit subdued and the religious theme was done better in a little-seen SEVEN rip-off I really dig called RESURRECTION.

tigerfish50 Set in the wintry rural wasteland of Canada, 'The Calling' could be the bastard child of 'Fargo' and 'Omen'. A serial killer is quietly going about his business until depressed, alcoholic, pill-popping Sheriff Hazel is roused from her suicidal daydreams by the mutilated corpse of an elderly female acquaintance. After she discovers several other mutilated remains have been scattered around the frozen countryside, Hazel begins to suspect one of cinema's most blood-curdling stock villains is on the prowl in the precinct. Scoffed at by her superior, she marshals the small town's oddball duo of police officers and their perky receptionist to catch themselves a deranged predator. Soon they are detecting like big city gumshoes, sipping strong black coffee in their cruisers and hot on the maniac's trail.The script reveals some glaring holes as Hazel's team uncovers an occult connection linking the killings, but decent acting papers over some of these threadbare patches. When a few of the loose ends are tied up at the conclusion, the killer turns out to be a fairly routine lunatic. The rationale for his murderous activities is the standard silliness for this genre of film, leaving 'The Calling' exposed as a rather tired old workhorse.