Phone Booth Review
by Shannon Patrick Sullivan (shannon AT morgan DOT ucs DOT mun DOT ca)April 10th, 2003
PHONE BOOTH (2002) / ***
Directed by Joel Schumacher. Screenplay by Larry Cohen. Starring Colin Farrell, Kiefer Sutherland, Forest Whitaker. Running time: 80 minutes. Rated AA for offensive language by the MFCB. Reviewed on April 10th, 2003.
By SHANNON PATRICK SULLIVAN
Synopsis: Smooth-talking Big Apple publicist Stu Shepard (Farrell) is married to Kelly (Radha Mitchell) but seeks a relationship with a client, Pamela (Katie Holmes). He uses a phone booth to call Pamela so that his cell phone bill won't arouse Kelly's suspicions. One day, he gets a call while exiting the booth; the voice on the line (Sutherland) claims to be a sniper with a gun targetting Stu. Trapped in the booth, Stu's only hope may be Captain Ramey (Whitaker) of New York's finest.
Review: Films which clock in at less than ninety minutes typically incur my wrath for being plotless wonders; "Phone Booth" is an exception. This is a movie with a simple premise well-executed which wisely ends before the novelty of the concept can wear off. Certainly, with its limited setting and cast of characters, an overlong "Phone Booth" would probably get tedious very quickly. As it stands, though, the movie is a rapid-fire evolution from introduction (the only significant segment of the picture to take place away from the eponymous locale) to complication to climax, giving the audience scarcely a moment to catch its collective breath. Granted, Schumacher does provide some escape from the phone booth by cutting away occasionally to the locations of other callers -- but even in these instances, he usually does so using a picture-in-picture technique, keeping the "cheating" to a minimum. For the most part, "Phone Booth" relies on his ability to keep the screen kinetic and involving. Of course, no experimental movie like this could succeed without the inclusion of skilled actors, and Farrell does an excellent job of balancing Stu's irascibility with the viewers' desire to sympathise. But it is Sutherland as the mysterious sniper who deserves the greatest praise, creating with voice alone a villain with presence and personality to spare.
Copyright © 2003 Shannon Patrick Sullivan.
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