Don't Let Go

A troubled LA cop, devastated by the murder of his brother, sister-in-law and niece, starts to receive cellphone calls from beyond the grave in this thriller offering from Blumhouse, the production force behind horror franchises like Insidious, Sinister and The Purge. Excellent British actor David Oyelowo (Selma) has every right to look concerned when his mobile shows his departed niece (A Wrinkle in Time's Storm Reid) is on the line, but the fact she's calling from several days in the past gives hope that together they might alter the tragic trajectory of previous events. The movie settles into a spot of time-spanning sleuthing, sustained by Oyelowo's evident emotional investment, and there's a decent hour of intrigue before writer/director Jacob Estes runs right off the rails trying to explain the how, why and when of this tall tale. Reid, too, delivers a strong showing as the teen in peril, but performances alone cannot bring a coherent time-line to a head-scratcher which ultimately doesn't make a lot of sense.