Officer Joe Baylor (Jake Gyllenhaal) has been assigned to work on the emergency call dispatch desks. Whilst working the night shift he takes a call from a distressed woman called Emily (Riley Keough) and he sets out to help her. 

Based on a 2018 Danish film of the same name Antoine Fuqua’s adaptation is faithful to the original story and just adapted for an English speaking audience. The entire film is set in the emergency dispatch office and focuses solely on Gyllenhaal’s Joe as he speaks to people on the phone trying to get to the bottom of what has happened to Emily. There are two mysteries to unravel in a race against time. Why has Joe been demoted to the emergency dispatch desk and can he save Emily? 

Personally I found the entire exercise a tense and intriguing experience. Gyllenhaal has the acting skill to keep us engaged for the swift 91 minute running time and director Antoine Fuqua has gathered and unbelievably good cast prepared to not physically feature in the film. Including Riley Keough, Peter Sarsgaard, Ethan Hawke, Paul Dano and Bill Burr. 

Officer Baylor is tightly wound and seemingly disintegrating before our eyes as he tightly grips on to his inhaler. There are moments when we wonder if this call is helping him focus on something good or seriously damaging what is left of his sanity. 

This Netflix thriller is worth your time.