[yasr_overall_rating]
A series of cryptic phone messages and visions haunt a writer while he struggles to finish a novel. As they increase in intensity, he loses his grip on reality, eventually obsessing over an old mystery that will lead to horrific revelations about both him and his loyal wife.
There are a lot of good psychological thrillers out there and now you can add “Private Number” to that list. As an indie filmmaker for over 30 years and also a reviewer who has probably watched more films that most people, “Private Number” is a movie that captivates you from the very beginning and never lets go. Michael (Hal Ozsan) is a writer and an ex-alcoholic who is suffering from writer’s block while trying to create his latest novel. His wife Katherine (Nicholle Tom), supports them as the owner of a clothes boutique in town. The couple have never been happier but all that changes when they begin receiving strange phone calls during the middle of the night from a private number. Every time Michael picks up the receiver, all he can hear is a voice saying “Remember me?”
As the calls become more frequent, they eventually contact the police who tell them that they’re probably prank calls from local area kids and not to worry about it but when Michael starts unplugging the phones at night, only to keep receiving the calls, he slowly begins to unravel. Listening to voicemail messages on the answering machine that only he can ascertain, he gradually begins deciphering the names of random people and when he brings the names to one of the local deputies, he is informed that they were people who had been murdered by a serial killer a few years back. With the police department unwilling to help and wanting the past stay there, Michael begins his own investigation, feeling that the spirits of the deceased are helping him but what he uncovers, will change his life forever.
The movie is full of admirable performances, especially that of Hal Ozsan as Michael, a man tormented by a past he can’t remember and while Tom Sizemore and Judd Nelson are always a joy to watch, here unfortunately, their onscreen time is very limited. Director LazRael Lison shoots the movie old-school, full of beautiful stationary widescreen shots and thankfully, abandons the hackneyed handheld camera technique that is prevalent in so many movies these days. Sadly, the finale employs a twist that was obviously meant to shock but for anybody versed in these kinds of movies, it can be seen coming a mile away but I won’t hold that against the filmmakers, they set out to tell an intriguing story and by all accounts, succeeded.
Available on DVD June 2nd
