The Calling

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The Calling

R

Released Aug 29, 2014

1h 48m

Mystery & Thriller

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Popcornmeter

55%

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44 Reviews

33%

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2,500+ Ratings

A small-town detective (Susan Sarandon) comes face-to-face with a serial killer whose belief in a "higher calling" led to a string of grisly murders.

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Critics Consensus

The Calling offers an excellent cast and a few decent thrills, but that isn't enough to overcome its lack of suspense or original ideas.

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Mark Kermode

Observer (UK)

There are pleasures to be found in the crotchety maternal interplay between Sarandon and Ellen Burstyn ...

Rated: 3/5

Oct 11, 2014

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Tara Brady

Irish Times

Working against the sublime, hilly backdrop of Dundas, director Jason Stone keeps his pacing elegant and the atmosphere moody.

Rated: 3/5

Oct 10, 2014

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Robbie Collin

Daily Telegraph (UK)

The dread barely bobs above sea level, despite efficient performances from Sarandon and the talented, underworked supporting cast.

Rated: 2/5

Oct 10, 2014

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Richard Crouse

Richard Crouse

Could have snapped up the pacing a bit, but the slower tempo gives us more time to sit back and enjoy the performances.

Rated: 3/5

Feb 1, 2021

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Nicholas Bell

IONCINEMA.com

It's a lukewarm endeavor a bit warmed over by notable cast members flogging through a ludicrous plot about an inane religious serial killer.

Rated: 1/5

Sep 5, 2019

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Julie Crawford

North Shore News (Vancouver, B.C.)

The Calling is not strictly a connect-the-dots thriller: we see some plot twists coming, but not all, and some mysteries are left unsolved.

Rated: 7/10

Apr 17, 2019

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Jelisije J

A serial killer is around and Susan Sarandon must try to stop him in an unexpected good thriller.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

11/16/24

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Mary S

There was a very original element to this movie, which I very much appreciated as someone who had studied linguistics. The performances are a bit wooden, and there is a lot about the portrayal of law enforcement that was implausible. But I enjoyed this nonetheless.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

09/08/24

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Lynn D

This show is very intriguing and very good acting. I am hoping it gets a season 2. I'm surprised by the low rating. Very talented actors.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

04/15/24

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Jesse L

*SOME SPOILERS* What was most irritating was the blatant disregard for reality of how police services work in Canada. Police Chief asks for police staffing from a completely different jurisdiction and talks to someone there as if he is her boss (if she were OPP this would make sense, but she's not); cop flies outside jurisdiction to a completely different province, enters a property without probable grounds, finds a bunch of evidence, then finds a dead body but doesn't report it to local police, meaning all the evidence there will now be compromised and can never be used; cop then flies to Montreal, again outside of jurisdiction and province, and is ready to go into a house on probable grounds of seeing blood everywhere when he looks through a window, but I guess forgets that he has no jurisdiction there so that means nothing. All of this is probably from the book on which the movie is based so that is likely where blame lies. If you're willing to suspend your disbelief for the duration of the film, it is not terrible, but much more in the vein of a drama than a thriller. A sad waste of Sarandon's and Burstyn's talents. They were not bad in the film at all, but their talents were underutilized.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

11/28/23

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Giorgio G

The story has been run already many times, of some small town (partly rundown) cops going after a serial killer, in this case a religious one. Unfortunately the story unravels too early, taking a lot of tension out of the movie. Still, mainly because of acceptable performances by the main actors, it is a watchable flick. There are a few goof-ups, but for being clearly a low budget movie it is quite alright. 5/10 points.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

08/24/23

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Audience Member

Ashton kutcher is a joke

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

04/15/21

Full Review

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Jason Stone

Director

Susan Sarandon

Hazel Micallef

Topher Grace

Ben Wingate

Gil Bellows

Detective Ray Green

Ellen Burstyn

Emily Micallef

Donald Sutherland

Father Price

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Synopsis

A small-town detective (Susan Sarandon) comes face-to-face with a serial killer whose belief in a "higher calling" led to a string of grisly murders.

Director: Jason Stone
Producer: Scott Abramovitch, Randy Manis, Nicholas Tabarrok, Lonny Dubrofsky, Ricky Tollman
Screenwriter: Scott Abramovitch
Distributor: Vertical Entertainment
Production Co: Stage 6 Films
Rating: R (Some Language|Disturbing Images|Violent Content)
Genre: Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Aug 29, 2014, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 1, 2016
Runtime: 1h 48m

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