Callan (film) film with a Dolby-encoded optical soundtrack. The film's original reaction was mixed to positive. Callan (film) Callan is an exciting 1974 British thriller film directed by Don Sharp and starring Edward Woodward, Eric Porter and Carl Möhner. It was based on the ITV television series "Callan" which ran from 1967 to 1972. David Callan (Edward Woodward), a leading intelligence agent/assassin in the employment of the S.I.S., was forced into retirement when he lost his nerve. Now, he is called back into service to handle the assassination of Schneider, a German businessman. Colonel Hunter (Eric Porter), his former employer, promises Callan
Callan (TV series) Prisoner", it is clear that Robert McCall (dubbed "Equalizer" by a fellow operative) is not related in any way to Callan. Though the characters do share some similarities, McCall had retired from an American intelligence agency whereas Callan had been terminated from a British one, and other backstory elements (including a failed marriage and a son (William Zabka) in his early 20s) eliminate any possibility that Callan had become McCall. That said, there clear echoes of Callan in Woodward's portrayal of McCall, such as an early episode where a female character encounters McCall in emotional distress after having to kill