Unknown Caller is a decent psychological thriller that should please genre fans as it deserves more acclaim and attention than it has gotten so far. The story revolves around a successful lobbyist who has some personal issues. One night, he has to help out his estranged ex-wife and take care of their daughter for one night. Things take a sinister turn when an unknown caller menaces the lobbyist by telling him that he must solve a series of riddles or else his whole mansion is going to be destroyed by a bomb placed underneath it. The lobbyist essentially needs to find out who is calling him and what the perpetrator's intentions are.
This film convinces on multiple levels. First of all, the story might not be innovative but is executed convincingly with a few twists and turns leading to a spectacular finale in a memorable location.
Up next, the movie's atmosphere is tense from start to finish as it will keep you on the edge of your seat. The mansion looks bleak and cold, the movie takes place at dusk and at night and the few locations outside the mansion look isolated and sinister. The pace accelerates as the film progresses and ends on a particularly high note.
The acting performances are the movie's only significant issue aside a few exaggerated elements in the plot. It's difficult to empathize with the different characters since they are either antipathic or unspectacular. David Chisum plays a protagonist who only cares about influence and wealth and comes across as terrible father and unfaithful former husband. The mysterious antagonist played by Henri Lubatti simply comes across as desperate psychopath without any relevant purposes. The only actor that is remotely interesting is played by Assaf Cohen who plays a resilient man who risks his life to protect the lives of others around him even though he ends up getting caught up in a deadly game that doesn't even remotely concern him.
In the end, Unknown Caller has more positive than negative elements to showcase. Despite a few exaggerated plot elements and antipathic characters, this film convinces with intriguing twists and turns and gripping atmosphere from start to finish. It's not mandatory to watch this flick but genre fans should certainly appreciate it for what it is.
