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Movie Review
Phone Booth
By Lee Tistaert Published April 2, 2003
US Release: April 4, 2003
Directed by: Joel Schumacher
Starring: Colin Farrell , Kiefer Sutherland , Forest Whitaker , Katie Holmes
R
Running Time: 80 minutes
Domestic Box Office: $46,563,000
Directed by: Joel Schumacher
Starring: Colin Farrell , Kiefer Sutherland , Forest Whitaker , Katie Holmes
R
Running Time: 80 minutes
Domestic Box Office: $46,563,000
B
18 of 118
One hell of a ride
Phone Booth was delayed from its November slot and is now positioned for April 4, but I got a special chance to catch a screening back in late July.
The story involves a normal guy, Stuart Shepard (Colin Farrell), who's an acting agent. As the film introduces his character in the first ten-to-fifteen minutes, it has a heavy emphasis on daily phone usage. After using a payphone in a booth, the phone rings again and Stuart answers to a sniper (Kiefer Sutherland) staring down at him from an unknown location. Proving that this is no prank, the sniper points out every move of Stuart's, thus escalating the tension. He notes that if Stuart hangs up the phone or leaves the booth, he will be shot.
I'd hate to go in depth with the actual story, as much of it creates a larger impact seeing it as it unravels. But I'll mention that Phone Booth is no typical ransom issue where the antagonist simply wants to pick on someone for an amount of money or something they need. There's a bigger picture involved and the pull-off is very sufficient.
Phone Booth is one of the more unique ideas in Hollywood, as it is such a simple concept but its skillful execution allows the film to be one hell of a ride. The movie shares a comparison with Cast Away and Panic Room in the sense where the characters on screen are confined to a particular area for a large period of time. And in the case of Phone Booth, an extremely small living space.
One of the only ways an idea like this could be pulled off greatly is through the direction. And Joel Schumacher, you have found a place in my heart for at least "some" forgiveness after the two Batman installments, as the intense direction is what makes Phone Booth one of the more rewarding thrillers of the year.
Not only that, but the intriguing aspect about the feature is even during its most nail-biting moments, the film manages to bring up some laughs. And it's a little awkward having to say this, but Phone Booth is nearly half thriller, half comedy. You'll be surprised to see how much you end up chuckling along, and at certain laughing hard even if it's because the enthusiasm behind Sutherland's pull-off is dead-on perfect. In fact, Kiefer Sutherland goes down in my books for the best performance (of the year) by a voice. By a voice, you may ask?
One of the key items that gets Phone Booth cooking with steam is that the audience is constantly on the same page as our main character, Stuart. We never leave his situation and when the cinematography leaves his glance, we are still being haunted by the one and only voice of Kiefer Sutherland behind the telephone as he chats away with Farrell. What's so effective is that most of the movie is done with simply Sutherland's voice on the other end of the line, allowing the viewer to feel as if they themselves are on the phone.
The sniper's role could have simply been a clich? delivery, but Kiefer adds a level of so much energy and life to the voice that seeing the antagonist's face may possibly wear down the feel and the mysteriously unknown. Much like Signs, this element is kept to the audience's imagination for the most part, making us draw our own picture of who is talking on the other side of the phone. As was proven with M. Night Shyamalan's film, this device is truly remarkable and heavily successful.
On the actual character front, sympathy can be easily placed with our hero, Stuart, as his dilemma strikes the audiences strongly, causing us to care about the outcome of the incidents that arise. While Stuart in the first half of the movie may be a selfish man used to lying through his life and being unfaithful in his own ways, the way the script handles these issues in the long run has the film grow on us and leaves us carrying for him. Jim Carrey was originally optioned the role for Stuart and I heard that he apparently couldn't get into character well enough to support the show, which is why he passed.
After watching the story play, Phone Booth almost calls for an up-and-coming actor who the audience doesn't completely know very well, but in the long run ending up enjoying his presence on the screen; Colin Farrell was the right man for the job. Having a well known actor in the highlight spot would very likely distract some, and honestly I can't see Carey in the role.
Phone Booth also stars Forest Whitaker, who plays Capt. Ramey, who attempts to talk Stuart out of the booth. Given all the hostage thriller flicks in the past, we pretty know what to expect from this character but Forest adds a warm and friendly touch to the role that lets the audience like him even though we may have seen this act several times before.
Playing Stuart's...well, I guess friend (see it to understand) is Katie Holmes (Pamela), who doesn't have a lot of screen time but was probably a primary reason behind why the audience had a significant amount of younger moviegoers. Katie is not given much to work with here, but then again I'm not so sure she's someone anyone would want to give anything noteworthy to in terms of material.
While the script doesn't allow for heavy attachment to anyone else but Stuart, the story calls for that and due to the restricted running time, any further attachment would likely lower the overall effect. As the point of the movie surrounds the audience being locked inside the phone booth with our protagonist.
Of the things I didn't appreciate, the intro (first ten-to-fifteen minutes) is a little slow and can easily turn off interest here and there. Also, what's somewhat disappointing about the film is that it carries an awesome level of intensity for nearly an hour straight, but then finishes the story in a heartbeat.
The climax came about fifteen-to-twenty minutes prior to my anticipation, but the resolution is what causes the greater impact. Phone Booth only lasts about 75 - 80 minutes. For more than three-fourths of the movie, we are on the telephone with the sniper. And while it may appear to be something that could turn dull in a second to anyone who hasn't seen it, boy is it intense!
The audience that attended looked very hooked into the movie, as all the humorous moments received periods of loud laughter from everyone, and at one particular moment an applause almost sprung. As for the intensity, Phone Booth is one of the very first times where I've physically seen one moviegoer after another leaning forward in their seat in anticipation for significant periods of time. At any spot where you know something could easily go the wrong way, you could feel everyone's nervous nature within the room ? it was as if the audience was a hostage.
Much like Scream, Phone Booth does for payphones what Scream did for home phones. After seeing the movie, you could very well have at least some hesitation or nervous twitch in the back of your mind promptly after hearing a payphone ring on the street. And when a movie can play with your mind as such, you know they pulled their tricks correctly.
The actual ending/resolution to Phone Booth is quite creepy, as it leaves the viewer with a nervous yet spectacular thrilling feel the movie screamed for. What could have been a run of the mill hostage feature turned into a rewarding execution that reminds us how much fun movies can be.
The story involves a normal guy, Stuart Shepard (Colin Farrell), who's an acting agent. As the film introduces his character in the first ten-to-fifteen minutes, it has a heavy emphasis on daily phone usage. After using a payphone in a booth, the phone rings again and Stuart answers to a sniper (Kiefer Sutherland) staring down at him from an unknown location. Proving that this is no prank, the sniper points out every move of Stuart's, thus escalating the tension. He notes that if Stuart hangs up the phone or leaves the booth, he will be shot.
I'd hate to go in depth with the actual story, as much of it creates a larger impact seeing it as it unravels. But I'll mention that Phone Booth is no typical ransom issue where the antagonist simply wants to pick on someone for an amount of money or something they need. There's a bigger picture involved and the pull-off is very sufficient.
Phone Booth is one of the more unique ideas in Hollywood, as it is such a simple concept but its skillful execution allows the film to be one hell of a ride. The movie shares a comparison with Cast Away and Panic Room in the sense where the characters on screen are confined to a particular area for a large period of time. And in the case of Phone Booth, an extremely small living space.
One of the only ways an idea like this could be pulled off greatly is through the direction. And Joel Schumacher, you have found a place in my heart for at least "some" forgiveness after the two Batman installments, as the intense direction is what makes Phone Booth one of the more rewarding thrillers of the year.
Not only that, but the intriguing aspect about the feature is even during its most nail-biting moments, the film manages to bring up some laughs. And it's a little awkward having to say this, but Phone Booth is nearly half thriller, half comedy. You'll be surprised to see how much you end up chuckling along, and at certain laughing hard even if it's because the enthusiasm behind Sutherland's pull-off is dead-on perfect. In fact, Kiefer Sutherland goes down in my books for the best performance (of the year) by a voice. By a voice, you may ask?
One of the key items that gets Phone Booth cooking with steam is that the audience is constantly on the same page as our main character, Stuart. We never leave his situation and when the cinematography leaves his glance, we are still being haunted by the one and only voice of Kiefer Sutherland behind the telephone as he chats away with Farrell. What's so effective is that most of the movie is done with simply Sutherland's voice on the other end of the line, allowing the viewer to feel as if they themselves are on the phone.
The sniper's role could have simply been a clich? delivery, but Kiefer adds a level of so much energy and life to the voice that seeing the antagonist's face may possibly wear down the feel and the mysteriously unknown. Much like Signs, this element is kept to the audience's imagination for the most part, making us draw our own picture of who is talking on the other side of the phone. As was proven with M. Night Shyamalan's film, this device is truly remarkable and heavily successful.
On the actual character front, sympathy can be easily placed with our hero, Stuart, as his dilemma strikes the audiences strongly, causing us to care about the outcome of the incidents that arise. While Stuart in the first half of the movie may be a selfish man used to lying through his life and being unfaithful in his own ways, the way the script handles these issues in the long run has the film grow on us and leaves us carrying for him. Jim Carrey was originally optioned the role for Stuart and I heard that he apparently couldn't get into character well enough to support the show, which is why he passed.
After watching the story play, Phone Booth almost calls for an up-and-coming actor who the audience doesn't completely know very well, but in the long run ending up enjoying his presence on the screen; Colin Farrell was the right man for the job. Having a well known actor in the highlight spot would very likely distract some, and honestly I can't see Carey in the role.
Phone Booth also stars Forest Whitaker, who plays Capt. Ramey, who attempts to talk Stuart out of the booth. Given all the hostage thriller flicks in the past, we pretty know what to expect from this character but Forest adds a warm and friendly touch to the role that lets the audience like him even though we may have seen this act several times before.
Playing Stuart's...well, I guess friend (see it to understand) is Katie Holmes (Pamela), who doesn't have a lot of screen time but was probably a primary reason behind why the audience had a significant amount of younger moviegoers. Katie is not given much to work with here, but then again I'm not so sure she's someone anyone would want to give anything noteworthy to in terms of material.
While the script doesn't allow for heavy attachment to anyone else but Stuart, the story calls for that and due to the restricted running time, any further attachment would likely lower the overall effect. As the point of the movie surrounds the audience being locked inside the phone booth with our protagonist.
Of the things I didn't appreciate, the intro (first ten-to-fifteen minutes) is a little slow and can easily turn off interest here and there. Also, what's somewhat disappointing about the film is that it carries an awesome level of intensity for nearly an hour straight, but then finishes the story in a heartbeat.
The climax came about fifteen-to-twenty minutes prior to my anticipation, but the resolution is what causes the greater impact. Phone Booth only lasts about 75 - 80 minutes. For more than three-fourths of the movie, we are on the telephone with the sniper. And while it may appear to be something that could turn dull in a second to anyone who hasn't seen it, boy is it intense!
The audience that attended looked very hooked into the movie, as all the humorous moments received periods of loud laughter from everyone, and at one particular moment an applause almost sprung. As for the intensity, Phone Booth is one of the very first times where I've physically seen one moviegoer after another leaning forward in their seat in anticipation for significant periods of time. At any spot where you know something could easily go the wrong way, you could feel everyone's nervous nature within the room ? it was as if the audience was a hostage.
Much like Scream, Phone Booth does for payphones what Scream did for home phones. After seeing the movie, you could very well have at least some hesitation or nervous twitch in the back of your mind promptly after hearing a payphone ring on the street. And when a movie can play with your mind as such, you know they pulled their tricks correctly.
The actual ending/resolution to Phone Booth is quite creepy, as it leaves the viewer with a nervous yet spectacular thrilling feel the movie screamed for. What could have been a run of the mill hostage feature turned into a rewarding execution that reminds us how much fun movies can be.
Lee's Grade: B
Ranked #18 of 118 between Red Dragon (#17) and Identity (#19) for 2003 movies.
Ranked #18 of 118 between Red Dragon (#17) and Identity (#19) for 2003 movies.
Lee's Overall Grading: 3025 graded movies
| A | 0.4% | |
| B | 30.0% | |
| C | 61.7% | |
| D | 8.0% | |
| F | 0.0% |
