6 of 10
Cinematography by Matthew Libatique
Colin Farrell
Kiefer Sutherland
Forest Whitaker
Radha Mitchell
Katie Holmes
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||||
| Phone Booth 6 of 10 |
||||||
| Directed by Joel Schumacher Cinematography by Matthew Libatique Colin Farrell Kiefer Sutherland Forest Whitaker Radha Mitchell Katie Holmes |
||||||
| Here is a perfect example of what is wrong with Hollywood: a great idea ruined by juvenile directing. The story was first written by Larry Cohen, a tremendously respected screenwriter. He came up with the idea many years ago, and discussed the film with both Hitchcock and Spielberg. Apparently, they both turned it down because of time constraints, and they both regretted it in the years to come. Finally, it fell into the hands of Joel Schumacher. If you are having a hard time seeing the connection between Hitchcock, Spielberg, and Schumacher, it�s because there isn�t one. Those first two are widely recognized as brilliant directors. Schumacher is probably most famous for (almost) single-handedly destroying the Batman franchise. Anyway, the story is really an excellent idea; something along the lines of Twelve Angry Men, or Rope. Almost everything in the film happens in one place. And that puts tremendous pressure on the director, pressure Schumacher is ill-equipped to deal with. Rather than realizing that the story is gripping enough to hold people�s attention, he tries to keep people excited by using tons of gimmicky, spastic camera shots and effects. (For example, he uses split-screens during the phone conversations. And that�s really irritating.) Labatique was very much of an enabler in this regard. In Pi and Requiem for a Dream, his frenetic style fit very well with the characters involved � the crazed scientist in Pi, and the strung-out kids in Requiem. But here, there is no such need, and so the result is really distressing. But the most distressing thing about this film is that it comes very close to succeeding, in spite of all Schumacher and Labatique can do to undermine it. The reason for this is, quite simply, the cast. Or the 2.5 people that get any kind of actual screen time. I recognize that Hollywood is trying to cram Colin Farrell down my throat whether I like it or not. He has appeared in 75-80% of all films in the last 16 months, or at least it seems that way. But what is clear from his role here is that this attention is not undeserved. His turn as the smarmy, dishonest publicist Stu Shepard is a masterful performance. Forest Whitaker�s Captain Ramey is also very good. But it is Kiefer Sutherland�s voice that really steals the show. His character - referred to only as The Caller - has virtually no screen time. But he is able to convey an absolutely convincing, absolutely sinister aspect despite the fact that you never see his face. Well, maybe you do. But I�m not saying. If you can stand to watch things that are very nearly good but come up a bit short, give this film a shot. | ||||||