FATAL CALL – SLIFF Review

Review by Dana Jung

Film noir. Femme fatale. American cinema has borrowed these expressions and made them into a unique style of storytelling all its own. The new thriller FATAL CALL relies on many of the conventions of these genres to tell its tale of greed, betrayal, lust, and phone calls. Shot in and around the bi-state region of St. Louis, Missouri, the film uses its location budget well with muted cinematography and shots of the cityscape giving it a Midwestern BLOOD SIMPLE vibe.

Veteran actor Jason London (who was Jason of the Argonauts in the TV version) is Mitch, an average laid-back white collar guy out for drinks with a few friends. While there, he meets Amy (Danielle Harris), who seems to share some of his interests. They click and start dating, but after their first romantic interlude her angry husband shows up. Things spiral downward from there, and Mitch must rely on his wits and some blind luck to survive.

Writer/director Jack Snyder keeps things moving as the story jumps back and forth using flashbacks, and mostly avoids confusion (noir is by nature hard to follow). Kevin Sorbo (TV’s HERCULES, ANDROMEDA) is excellent in a supporting but pivotal role. The two leads are fine, although Harris (HALLOWEEN) sometimes seems too cute to play the devious Amy. There are actually many potentially fatal calls in FATAL CALL, and it’s a credit to the film that it maintains a certain suspenseful tone each time a call is made.

FATAL CALL screens as part of the 21st Annual Whitaker Saint Louis International Film Festival on Sunday, November 11th at at 8:30pm at the Tivoli Theater