Phone Booth ---- *** (out of 5) (2003)
Cast: Colin Farrell, Kiefer Sutherland, Forest Whitaker, Radha Mitchell, Katie Holmes
Director(s): Joel Schumacher
Screenwriter(s): Larry Cohen
Released on: April 4, 2003
Reviewed on: September 8, 2003
Rated: R - for pervasive language and some violence
Hearing that roughly 65 minutes out of an 80-minute film is going to take place in one single location, especially a place as claustrophobic as a phone booth, probably wouldn't turn on the curiosity of a whole lot of potential viewers. It is an ingenious idea for cutting the budget down though.
Colin Farrell plays a wealthy, but cocky New York publicist named Stu Shepard in love with himself and his image. The character buildup for him is authentic, and his few opening moments are full of him jabbering on the cell phone making deals with just about anyone as his tagalong assistant struggles to keep up. After being rude to a pizza delivery man, we discover that he also thinks money can fix any situation. He proceeds to make a call on a phone booth to his lover, Pam. But why would he do this if we already know he has a cell phone he frequently uses? Because his wife sees the calls he makes on his cell phone at the end of every month, and he can cover up the calls to his mistress by using the booth. Ah... This is where we begin to understand what could inevitably be Stu's most fatal mistake. After making his call, the phone rings again. Like any normal person, Stu answers it and finds himself on the other line with a sniper well aware of Stu's personality and the many errors he's made. Forced to stay on the line or be shot, Stu ends up being handed the blame for another man's death from the sniper's shot. The booth is quickly surrounded by police and news vans, broadcasting the entire event on national television. Since he can't reach for his cell phone or the SWAT team will blow him away, Stu finds himself caught between a rock and a hard place.
PHONE BOOTH succeeds on a very significant level by keeping us on our toes for over an hour in one location. If handled in the wrong fashion, this could have gone downhill and been one of the worst films of the year. The dialogue and direction kept it entertaining and viewer-friendly without too many complicated aspects coming into play. There does come a time when the suspense isn't as riveting as it was in the beginning, and you find yourself needing the climax to show its face before your exciting escapade comes to a sad and boring end. Right when you reach this point, there's always something that occurs that starts your heart rate back up again sometimes to an almost unbearable high.
Once the ending finally did come after a thrilling hour of enjoyable suspense, it wasn't as clever as it made itself out to be. The stalemate between the sniper and the cops with Stu caught in the middle makes us immediately think, "Oh, this is definitely going to end really cleverly!" As much as you might think that the ending is going to be well-written and smart, it's not. And that was the major disappointment of the entire PHONE BOOTH experience. Rather than come up with a hip and unique way to tie everything up, we're left with a climax that follows formula instead of doing its own thing.
It's not as bad as some critics might have you believe. It might not meet the expectations of many, but it certainly won't take away the feeling you get after successfully sitting through an intense flick like PHONE BOOTH. This is going to be a favorite among thrill-seekers.
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