Of course, the story of “Final Call – If he hangs up, she must die” is not exactly complicated. However, over long stretches of the runtime, which is pleasantly short at an hour and a half, this isn’t a flaw at all – rather the opposite. Of course, in “Snakes On A Plane” director David R. Ellis’s thriller, some things seem constructed and chance always plays a major role. But the public doesn’t have much time to think about it. Because it’s all so exciting because it’s told, staged and edited very quickly.
“Final Call – If he hangs up, she must die” is on Tele 5 July 13, 2023 at 8:15 p.m.. There will be a repeat at 12:30 that same evening. If these dates don’t suit you, you’ll have to dig into your pockets to see the movie. Because none of the popular streaming services currently have “Final Call” in the flat-rate program. However, it is available from online retailers such as Amazon as Blu-ray, DVD or paid video-on-demand.
Besides Marvel superstar Chris “Captain America” Evans, who plays the main character who happens to be thrust into the hero role, Jason Statham in particular stands out from the cast. For once, the ‘Fast & Furious’, ‘Expendables’ and ‘Transporter’ veteran doesn’t play a morally ambivalent anti-hero, but a real villain. According to our 3-star FILMSTARTS review, the Brit does his job in a wonderfully nasty, obscure way.
“Final Call” on Tele 5: that’s what it’s all about
Ryan (Chris Evans) in his twenties is a self-centered man who lives his day without a plan. His relationship with Chloe (Jessica Biel) recently ended because of this attitude. To get her back and to prove he’s not the kid she thinks he is, Ryan delivers a rather annoying message to the young woman.
As soon as he is on his way, his mobile phone rings. On the other end of the line is a panicked-sounding woman (Kim Basinger) that Ryan has never heard of. She claims to have been kidnapped and accidentally dialed his number using a nearly destroyed phone. At first, Ryan doesn’t take the call seriously and suspects a prank by his buddy Chad (Eric Christian Olsen). But then things suddenly go the wrong way…
Screenplay by the author of “Fast & Furious”.
The idea for Final Call came from Larry Cohen, author of the somewhat similar phone booth thriller Don’t Hang Up! The script was then drafted by Chris Morgan, who went on to write the screenplays for most of the “Fast & Furious” blockbusters, as well as the Netflix hit “Bird Box.”
Morgan made some changes to Cohen’s design. Instead of a shrewd, elegant art thief, he made the main character an everyday boy without great ambitions or talents – someone with whom the broad mass of viewers can identify much better.
Likewise, we (almost) all have telephones and could end up in the situation of the protagonist played by Chris Evans. In this way too, the makers succeed in quickly involving the audience in the story. Three successful remakes of the film from distant cultures prove that this is universally understandable and empathetic. One is “Connected” (2008) from Hong Kong. The other two were made in India – “Speed” (2007) and “Risk” (2009).
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