Don’t Hang Up (2017)
Matt Boiselle
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Starring Gregg Sulkin, Garrett Clayton, Bella Dayne
Directed by Damien Mace and Alexis Wajsbrot
Come on, admit it – we all did it when we were younger, and some people were simply resistant to let it go – I’m talking about the art of the prank phone call, and even after the inception of caller ID and star 69 (sounds filthy) – hell, even now I’m sure it’s damn near impossible to pull off a good phone gag on someone, but co-directors Damien Mace and Alexis Wajsbrot deliver a film that bypasses the “what if” thought and goes straight for the jugular in Don’t Hang Up.
While the premise might seem a bit dated, both Mace and Wajsbrot try their hardest to make an otherwise stale basis somewhat interesting, and deliver moderately in execution. A couple of high-school goons named Brady and Sam (Clayton, Sulkin) are the antithesis of “douchebag” – privileged, immature, and generally the kinds of guys you’d like to shove into traffic if readily available. The movie opens with them phone-pranking a woman into believing that she and her child are in danger from a home invasion, then immediate upload online, and the duo alongside a couple of pals are internet celebrities (sad state we’re living in). So, here we are a short time later, and the brothers-in-douchery are hanging out, pounding suds, and Sam is whining about his girlfriend Peyton (Dayne) giving him the cold shoulder – so what better to do to kill some boredom? Crank up the phone lines, it’s time to screw with people! Their general sense of adolescent euphoria gets cut short when the other end of the phone decides to do a bit of screwing around as well, only something isn’t jovial about this caller – he knows literally everything about his pranksters: name, address, what they’re currently doing at the time…and how to keep their attention locked to his every word. It’s a really nice touch, but the question begs: how much could this person ACTUALLY get away with? Aah, suspension of disbelief: it’s a wonderful thing.
What follows in the film are some paint-by-numbers instances that horror fans could sniff out a mile in advance – some work, some don’t, but it all adds up to the eventual payoff that could blow your mind, or leave you shifting in your seat wondering where that last 80+ minutes you invested in the film went. Our main protagonist is somewhat of an eerie fellow, mask, creepy (yet calm) voice, and large knife in tow. As far as performances go, as much of a couple of “bro-tastic jerkoffs” as they portray, both Clayton and Sulkin deliver believable roles – now don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying I was feeling bad for their characters during any point in the film, but I can respect their acting talents. Aside from a wonky plot, the usage of camera angles and lighting play a big role in this film, setting it up as a visually impressive view – lots of darkened night shots and video feed here, and it looks very well done. Overall, I’d normally jump all over a film like this, but there were moments where my attention was glued, and times where I just wanted the dynamic duo to get sliced and diced – any way you look at it, this call should at least be answered once…just Don’t Hang Up.
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Film
Categorized:Reviews
