Phone Booth
Cast
Colin Farrell .... Stu Shepard
Kiefer Sutherland .... The Caller
Forest Whitaker .... Captain Ramey
Radha Mitchell .... Kelly Shepard
Katie Holmes .... Pamela McFadden
Directed by
Joel Schumacher
Rater #2 has description and review.
Rater #1
4/10. The full extent of this film seemed to be weird. Yeah, cells phones are dominating the landscape and yeah phone booths are disappearing, but this was just seemingly odd. I don't understand exactly how you could get away with shooting the film from inside and around the phonebooth without showing the killer from an upstairs window. Maybe that would have just given away where he was, and he wouldn't have been there, and we would have been looking for him.
Colin Farrell did a fine job but he was the main character, so this was a do or die movie. He kept my attention, and he made me feel for him. The caller, Kiefer Sutherland, was in a way scary. His voice just scared me enough that I would have done what Colin Farrell's character did. Though the script was right in having Sutherland say, "Isn't it funny - you hear a phone ringing and it could be anybody. A ringing phone has to be answered...doesn't it? " I mean, who in their right minds would answer a phone booth except in a thriller movie?
The one other good thing about this movie was probably the cinematography. Whoever was in charge gave us interesting new ways to look at the phone booth. The other thing that was interesting was the blue filter on the cameras. Though that kind of went against an archetypal color, Blue, which means peace and tranquilty, but obviously there was none of that.
Anyway, if you really want to see the movie, go ahead. It might be stupid, you might fall asleep, you might do something else, but you may watch the whole thing anyway.
Rater #2
7/10. Cell phones are quickly overtaking pay phones as the premiere on-the-
run communications device. However, that doesn't stop Joel Schumacher
from making a fast-paced 80-minute thriller that takes place inside
of a simple phone booth, one of the only ones left in New York. Much
like Panic Room in that it takes place in an enclosed space and like
Se7en in the motives of "The Caller", Phone Booth almost entirely
takes place inside of a phone booth in which Stu Shepard (Colin
Farrell) enters to make a call to his current fling Pam (Katie
Holmes).
Stu is a PR man, and he's not exactly the most honorable of all
people. He calls Pam from a pay phone because his wife Kelly (Radha
Mitchell) checks his cell phone bill. However, as he's about to leave
the booth, it rings and on the other end is a mysterious man, The
Caller (Kiefer Sutherland) tells him to stay on the line or else he
will shoot Stu with a sniper. Because the MPAA thinks that after
national tragedy we can't handle movies that are even somewhat based
on the topic, Phone Booth was delayed five months from the
Washington, D.C. sniper attacks. Although the hulk of the film is
around The Caller, it's also interesting to look at how Stu changes
throughout this 80-minute film. It's pretty amazing that we could
feel so much for Stu when we don't know much about him, and what we
do know was in a brief part of 80 minutes.
Not only is Phone Booth an interesting character study, it also is
pretty thrilling. There's nothing worse than a feeling of
helplessness, and that's what we feel along with Stu. He has to do
what the Caller says or else he'll be shot, and he has to do what the
police say or else he'll be shot by the police. He has no choices,
and has to do what people tell him to do. What makes Phone Booth an
interesting ride is how much I liked the Caller. Sure, the movie
couldn't work without the police coming into play, but I was just
waiting for another scene in the phone booth with the Caller
preparing to wreck more havoc. Sutherland was perfect for the role,
with his unique voice and his exceptional acting really holding the
film together. Farrell, who I liked before he became the subject of
tabloids, does a pretty good job.
One of the most remarkable parts of the film was its cinematography.
Matthew Libatique did an exception job, with varying distance shots
and great angles. A few times, when Stu was in the phone booth, it
had a rounded shape to it. It's hard to explain but it looked really
great. Now, I'm sure you're wondering if I've only said good things
about it why I only gave it a 7/10. I hated the ending. I thought
that it was just a cheap way to tie everything together. Did anyone
not expect it? Also, it wasn't highly thrilling, just mildly. But, if
you overlook that, you'll find a big film based on a small idea that
really is a small-budget film hiding under the cover of Hollywood.
Rater #3
Has Not Seen Movie.
Rater #4
Has Not Seen Movie.
Rated R for pervasive language and some violence.
Running time: 81 minutes
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