This film is a moderately entertaining thriller, at best, with moments of suspense that are few and far between. The plot, while promising, is too contrived and fails in its execution. It is saved from total failure only by the excellent performances given by Colin Ferrell and Kiefer Sutherland. Their performances, however, are not enough to make this film any more than a mediocre one.
Colin Ferrell plays the role of Stu Shepard, a guy from the Bronx, who is a fast talking, self-important publicist for those celebrities who want to be more important than they are or deserve to be. His wife Kelly (Radha Mitchell) is a beautiful young woman. Yet, she is not enough for the adrenaline charged Stu, who is lusting after another young woman, a beautiful and aspiring actress named Pamela (Katie Holmes), who has no idea Stu is married.
When Stu enters a phone booth in midtown Manhattan one day to call Pamela, he answers the phone when it rings and gets a call that will change his life forever and bring about some self-realization. It seems that out mystery caller, played with effectively creepy resonance by Kiefer Sutherland, has had his sights on Stu for some time. Now, he has Stu right where he wants him, and Stu, for reasons the viewer will find out when watching the movie, has no choice but to play along and stay exactly where he is in this deadly game of cat and mouse.
This film suffers from a leaden screenplay that brings the entire film to the level of a B movie that should have gone straight to video. In fact, do yourself a favor and avoid buying this film. Instead, settle for renting it, if you are a Colin Ferrell or Kiefer Sutherland fan. If you are not, deduct one star from my rating. |
Phone Booth dvd movie.