A&E

For centuries, great philosophers and common men alike have pondered the question “What would you do if you knew you only had a week to live?” Would you run? Would you spend it with the people you love? Would you make amends for all of your transgressions? Would you party like there’s no tomorrow? What if you still had some business left to take care of?

These are the questions posed by Richard Ledes’s new psychological thriller, “The Caller,” which won the Tribeca Film Festival’s narrative competition for films set in New York.

Frank Langella plays a wealthy business executive who, troubled by his conscience, decides to reveal his business’s questionable practices. When his would-be employers inform him that he has two weeks to live, he enlists the aid of a private detective played by Elliott Gould.

At first, we see what seem to be the bare elements of an archetypical mystery story. However, there is a great deal more beneath the surface. For one, Gould does not come across as a typical action hero. Slightly overweight and just a hair away from retirement, he spends far more time watching birds than he does pursuing leads. He accepts the case because he is offered an exorbitant pay increase, but we are soon forced to question whether there is a case at all.

Gould’s role in the film, from the start, is shrouded in mystery. Langella hires Gould to tail him, offering directions through cellphone calls while disguising his voice. For awhile, Gould takes Langella’s directions without question, following his subject through the streets of Manhattan, dutifully taking notes on how Langella greets his mother and the way he puts out his cigarettes.

The plot has a series of twists which all seem to suggest how we are inextricably linked to our past. While the film is characterized by many of the elements of a typical detective story–a surprise ending, a sensuous and mysterious heroine and a climactic chase–it is ultimately about a search for self, rather than a search for a murderer. Langella and Gould find themselves connected, and the film is far more satisfying than a whodunit.

The film is enhanced by its beautiful depictions of New York. At times, it seems as if the film is a tribute to the detective films of the 1940s. However, Ledes sets his film during the spring, a time when the city is rather youthful and full of color. This separates “The Caller” from its ancestors in the noir genre. Few film makers other than Woody Allen can claim to posses Ledes’s talent for evoking mood from a city’s streets. The scenes of Langella sauntering down the West End with his surrogate daughter, Gould watching birds in Riverside Park, and a thrilling boat chase on the Hudson are all important to the film’s success.

In the end, “The Caller” is a character study as much as a thriller. Its writers (Ledes and Alain-Didier Weil) place their characters in a number of situations as unfamiliar to their characters as they are to the audience. It’s hard to imagine being so out of one’s element, and such writing raises this film above the pack. Langella and Gould are also spot-on performers, who play their roles with a sense of bewilderment–even when they are in control of the movie’s events. The film is also unique in that there is no puppet master, despite the heavy amounts of deception.

The film is sophisticated, sometimes overly so. There is an abundance of historical and cultural references, and Gould speaks a good deal of laughable French. It’s easy to get lost in the nuances, but intelligent movie goers will find reward in this exciting and beautifully shot film. However, there are times when the dialogue dissipates and we grow weary of Gould’s tireless pursuit. At this point, it’s easy to sit back and enjoy this worthy portrait of New York. Even at its lowest points, you can no doubt find an endless amount of satisfaction in looking for your house.