Directed by:
Joel SchumacherScreenplay:
Larry CohenCinematography:
Matthew LibatiqueComposer:
Harry Gregson-WilliamsCast:
Colin Farrell, Kiefer Sutherland, Forest Whitaker, Radha Mitchell, Katie Holmes, Paula Jai Parker, Tia Texada, John Enos III, Richard T. Jones, Keith Nobbs (more)Plots(1)
A wannabe hotshot entertainment publicist who's more intent on posturing for his unpaid assistant than he is in actually working, Stu Shepherd (Colin Farrell) ducks into a phone booth to make his regular afternoon call to his girlfriend (Katie Holmes). Stu stops in the same phone booth at the same time every day to flirt with the young girl, who does not know that Stu is happily married with no intention of dating her seriously. When Stu says goodbye to his girl and sets down the receiver, he picks up a call from a threateningly sarcastic man with a deep voice. This man seems to have been tracking Stu's visits to this booth every day, and suddenly Stu knows that his secrets are no longer his own. Soon, the caller identifies himself as a sniper and begins shooting. Police are called in, and Stu must use his PR skills in a final test to get out of the booth, alive. (official distributor synopsis)
(more)Videos (1)
Reviews (11)
"Telephone booth" is still effective even after years, although it may seem that the booth itself is a relic that can only be found in a museum nowadays. It beautifully demonstrates how times evolve. However, it doesn't really matter because even in another 13 years, this will be an immensely powerful and claustrophobic drama, which will still have the same positive effect on the viewer. Joel Schumacher truly excelled in this.
()
Joel Schumacher is truly a unique person, he can make crap like Batman & Robin, but he can also make gems like Falling Down or 8mm. This project, Phone Booth, is considered the pinnacle of his filmography because it has everything a film in this genre should have: a great main hero, a devilish villain, captivating atmosphere, excellent camera work, and solid music. That's why it is one of the best thrillers of the year.
()
By the end of the film, the script didn't seem to know which way to go, so all of a sudden something happened that could have happened at any time, and it was so rushed and just weird that it kind of ruined Phone Booth for me. However, the previous hour was good and I certainly wouldn't want my bad conscience to have the voice of a giggling Kiefer Sutherland.
()
Even after watching this film twenty times, it's still an inventive, clever, and suspenseful thriller where Joel Schumacher, constrained by budget and shooting days, lets the entire weight of the plot be carried by the polished dialogue of the Farrell-Sutherland pair. For this, the biggest thanks go to Larry Cohen, who did have some mistakes and logical question marks in the script, but the witty social criticism together with the escalation of the plot reliably carries the film for the entire 70-minute runtime.
()
I’m grateful to Telecom/Télefonica O2 for getting rid of the telephone boxes from my neighborhood. I’m such a dummy that I also might pick up a forlorn call. Just that I’m in no way such a hot shot like Farrell. I’d be a darn piece of cake for “that guy". And for this movie is a piece of cake too because everything works as it should and practically all came out unprecedentedly well. Especially the atmosphere. Something that would be hard to find in a regular Prague phone booth.
()
Ads