Trapped in a deadly phone booth
It happened to Collateral Damage back in 2001. Owing to the events of 9/11, the thriller, whose plot about terrorism in the US was frightfully similar to the actual events of the twin tower bombing, was put off until early last year
Film: Phone Booth
Starring: Colin Ferrell, Kiefer Sutherland
Director: Joel Schumacher
Running time: 80 minutes
Preview By: Sebidde Kiryowa
Showing At: Cineplex Cinema,
Wilson Road
It happened to Collateral Damage back in 2001. Owing to the events of 9/11, the thriller, whose plot about terrorism in the US was frightfully similar to the actual events of the twin tower bombing, was put off until early last year. The trend caught on.
Phone Booth, the new action thriller starting today, became one the post-9/11 films to fall victim to that increasing reluctance on the part of motion picture studios to release movies where on-screen events echo real-world tragedies.
The film was originally set for release in November 2002, but, as a result of the shooting spree by a Washington D.C.- area sniper, 20th Century Fox decided to delay it.
But the result made for a pleasant early-year surprise, with the movie becoming a runaway box office hit perhaps because, as some critics contend: “it offers viewers the best pure thriller of 2003 todate.â€
The plot: Stuart Shepard (Colin Farrell) is a fast-talking New York publicist who thinks he is on top of the world. Wearing designer suits and a fake luxury watch, he struts down the sidewalks of Manhattan with his assistant in tow, talking on a cell phone and not taking “no†for an answer.
Then comes Stuart’s daily visit to the telephone booth at 53rd & 8th Avenue, from which he calls a pretty young actress named Pamela (Katie Holmes). Stuart finds her attractive and has entertained thoughts of an affair with her. He uses the booth so his wife (Radha Mitchell) will not see Pamela’s number on his phone bill.
But Stuart’s daily routine has not gone unnoticed, and, as soon as he hangs up with Pamela, the booth’s phone rings. A voice (that of actor Kiefer Sutherland) informs Stuart there is a high-powered rifle trained on the phone booth from one of the many buildings with a view of the intersection, and if Stuart leaves the enclosure, he will be killed.
To prove his point, the voice takes a victim. Suddenly, panic is everywhere and the police, led by a captain (Forest Whitaker), arrive and demand that Stuart (whom they mistake for a hostage-taker) hang up the phone and step out of the phone booth.
Phone Booth comes highly recommended. Most critics were overly impressed with the film.
“On one level, it’s amazing that a movie about a man being trapped inside a phone booth could be successful, but Phone Booth works for many ... The script takes a seemingly dead-end premise and keeps throwing in new twists,†a critic said.
Starring: Colin Ferrell, Kiefer Sutherland
Director: Joel Schumacher
Running time: 80 minutes
Preview By: Sebidde Kiryowa
Showing At: Cineplex Cinema,
Wilson Road
It happened to Collateral Damage back in 2001. Owing to the events of 9/11, the thriller, whose plot about terrorism in the US was frightfully similar to the actual events of the twin tower bombing, was put off until early last year. The trend caught on.
Phone Booth, the new action thriller starting today, became one the post-9/11 films to fall victim to that increasing reluctance on the part of motion picture studios to release movies where on-screen events echo real-world tragedies.
The film was originally set for release in November 2002, but, as a result of the shooting spree by a Washington D.C.- area sniper, 20th Century Fox decided to delay it.
But the result made for a pleasant early-year surprise, with the movie becoming a runaway box office hit perhaps because, as some critics contend: “it offers viewers the best pure thriller of 2003 todate.â€
The plot: Stuart Shepard (Colin Farrell) is a fast-talking New York publicist who thinks he is on top of the world. Wearing designer suits and a fake luxury watch, he struts down the sidewalks of Manhattan with his assistant in tow, talking on a cell phone and not taking “no†for an answer.
Then comes Stuart’s daily visit to the telephone booth at 53rd & 8th Avenue, from which he calls a pretty young actress named Pamela (Katie Holmes). Stuart finds her attractive and has entertained thoughts of an affair with her. He uses the booth so his wife (Radha Mitchell) will not see Pamela’s number on his phone bill.
But Stuart’s daily routine has not gone unnoticed, and, as soon as he hangs up with Pamela, the booth’s phone rings. A voice (that of actor Kiefer Sutherland) informs Stuart there is a high-powered rifle trained on the phone booth from one of the many buildings with a view of the intersection, and if Stuart leaves the enclosure, he will be killed.
To prove his point, the voice takes a victim. Suddenly, panic is everywhere and the police, led by a captain (Forest Whitaker), arrive and demand that Stuart (whom they mistake for a hostage-taker) hang up the phone and step out of the phone booth.
Phone Booth comes highly recommended. Most critics were overly impressed with the film.
“On one level, it’s amazing that a movie about a man being trapped inside a phone booth could be successful, but Phone Booth works for many ... The script takes a seemingly dead-end premise and keeps throwing in new twists,†a critic said.