Genres

Visitors Review

Cameron 2012-05-24 23:46:16

Great movie, and here's why.

Spoiler alertI've read a few reviews by people who were repulsed by the concept thatthisfilm represented something so "close to home", being theSeptember-November2002 sniper shootings in Washington D.C. Its worth pointing out, thismoviewas actually produced in 2001 but was not released because of the WTCterrorism, and was also suspended by the aforementionedsnipings.This movie is suspensful, enjoyable and frightening, and none of it isgratuitous. Its suspenseful in that you don't really know whats going tohappen, not quite recognising Kiefer Sutherland's voice and wondering ifoneof the policemen around the booth might be about to get nervous andshoot,even though if they did that the movie would end too early... itsfrightening in that its unfortunately something that very easily couldhappen in this day and age, and I don't know about everyone else, butthatscares the living bejeezers out of me.I also enjoyed the fact the "villain" got away at the end.To each his own, but this was one of the best hours and a half I've hadinrecent memory.I wish they'd make more movies of this calibre. it doesn't need to be"FinalDestination" to be frightening.

kraley 2012-05-24 01:15:27

Yes, two hours in a phone booth CAN be made interesting!

Phone Booth is about an unsavory individual that is trapped in aphone booth by a sniper who torments him for his misdeeds. Youmay be asking yourself (as I was) "you can make this plotinteresting for 2 whole hours?!". Yes, for nearly two hours this filmencompasses a 50' area surrounding a phone booth... and it'spretty darn good while doing it! I won't ruin any surprises by tellingyou the 'twists' (such as they are), but it's a fairly well-handled filmthat is an indirect (or not-so-indirect) commentary of indiscriminatecellular phone usage and society's newer seedy underbelly (videovoyeurism, ignoring the plights of others, big city indifference,overly aggressive police tactics, and much more). For thetrivia-minded; this film was completed quite some time ago butwas seriously delayed due to the sniper incidents in theWashington area last year. Seems political correctness hasdelayed yet another film for fear adults cannot control their ownemotions nor separate reality from fiction. Thank you censors! Ihate having to make my own decisions about what I can andcannot 'handle'!The acting is merely average. Colin Farrell does pretty well withwhat is essentially an hour plus of facial close-ups but I neverreally 'believed' his situation. Whether that was the script or theacting is open to debate (I suspect it was the latter). The sniper isvery well-voiced by someone you'll recognize if you go to themovies with any regularity. There are some mid-level namedactors you'll recognize and a nice surprise appearance near theend. I personally feel the writers/editors copped out (no punintended) on the ending, but I'll let y'all be the judge of that. I trulydisliked the opening and ending sequences as I felt theyGREATLY detracted from what was otherwise a fairly solid,straightforward film. The voice-overs are simply unnecessary andirritating.There is lots of profanity, indirect drug usage and implied nudity(mostly in the background), violence, and adult situations galore(yup, all in a phone booth for 2 hours). Not a film for the kiddos, butnothing there that will truly offend the sensitive (unless they arelooking to be offended or have a low tolerance for profanity). It's afairly original movie and that goes a long way with me these days.Go see Phone Booth if you get the opportunity. It may not beregarded as an 'instant classic' but it's a solid, original film that youwon't regret having paid to view.

2012-05-23 05:55:40

The Real "On the Line"

The publicist Stu (Colin Farrell) was a playa! Did that mean that he should've been forced to stay in a "Phone Booth" for an hour and eighteen minutes? What if he had to use the restroom? That would've been troublesome. So a sniper (Kiefer Sutherland) had him pinned down like a super heavyweight doing a bodyslam on a skinny boy. He wasted so much time just to get him to confess to his wife and girlfriend of his sins. Unfortunately, Stu was a sissy child who cried way too much and proved to me that he really wasn't a playa! This movie is only OK.

Ecto-Jedi 2012-05-23 03:20:40

Will likely do for phone booths what "Psycho" did for showers!

--- SPOILER WARNING! ---Few movies have ever gotten such an emotional response out of me as JoelSchumacher's 2002 release, "Phone Booth". For all the hype about moviespushing your emotional buttons in recent months, nothing for me has comeclose to the nerve-wrenching stuff dished up here with startling regularitythroughout the film. Maybe I'm just a sucker for a good story and somewell-considered characters, but I lost count of the number of times I bobbedaround on a roller coaster of emotions that ranged from intrigue toexcitement to anger to terror and back again. But the real brilliance of thefilm is in its simplicity; "Phone Booth" doesn't have a lot of crazycomputer-animated special effects, or cool explosions, or gravel-voiced,gun-toting heroes who come in to save the day; it has none of that. It playson the expectations, emotions and feelings of the audiences, with an oftenterrifying fluidity.Alas, there are some surprising events during the plot that, if I spoiledthem for you, would seriously ruin the whole experience. I made sure that Iavoided on-line reviews and chat rooms and message boards that concernedthis film, so I could watch the DVD without any pre-conceived notions and,you know what? This movie blew me away!Keifer Sutherland, with his menacing, sinister voice, was the perfect choicefor the sniper. Colin Farrel had never been my favourite actor, mainlybecause I didn't really like any of the films he was in --- but this moviehas changed my views about the talented individual. He plays Stewart soconvincingly that no one will have any trouble placing themselves in hisshoes and watching the terror from inside that phone booth. The film'scapability to suck you into the events, the plots, and the characters, issomething we haven't seen since the original "Star Wars" back in1977...!Repeating myself, I must say that practically no other movie has captivatedand enthralled me like "Phone Booth" (with but a few notable exceptions, ofcourse.) I found myself twitching and shaking with nervosity throughout thepicture and I smiled at every darn scene because they were so perfect; socapted in reality that they were terrifying, and I even found myself intears during one scene. IN TEARS! That's never happened to me before, dude!In closing, I'd like to state that I recommend "Phone Booth" to anyone who'slooking for a nerve-wracking, pulse pounding psychological thriller. How aman like Joel Schumacher can completely and utterly destroy a franchise withgod-awful films (Batman Forever and 1997's abominable "Batman and Robin"),then turn around and direct one of history's greatest thrillers is quitebeyond me. All that's important is that if you even have the slightestinkling of what all the fuss is about with "Phone Booth", you're no doubtexceptionally excited to view this film. Amen.

filmfreak-5 2012-05-22 01:51:37

amazing flick...

WOW, is the only word that comes to mind. Right, you sit down, you watch amovie. The movie with a guy standing in a phone booth might not be firstchoice but rather something to fall asleep to, right? Dead WRONG! Atleast ifyou do, you won't catch any sleep. This movie is amazing. It kept me totallystunned from the beginning, but I think you might have to watch it toappreciate it. SO DO THAT! :-)

2012-05-21 21:31:04

really good

this movie was great. colin farrell's performance was amazing, even though his accent was kind of weird in the beginning. though this movie doesn't really have much of a plot and the setting is in one place, a phone booth, it was still a pretty good movie. the ending was kinda creepy though... well, this movie was really good and colin farrell is a great actor

Pepstar 2012-05-20 16:43:54

"Hot Shot" almost gets shot...

***SPOILERS*** ***SPOILERS***My personal rating to this movie: 9What an original movie this is! In the style of the famous TV series "24",we can also discover the influence of Kiefer Sutherland in thismasterpiece.The originality of this movie is the foundation of my high rating. Formorethan 90 % the movie is settled in a phone booth, but nevertheless thismoviedoesn't irritate at a single moment. That's a remarkable fact on itself.The story of this movie can be told very shortly. Stu Shepherd (ColinFarell) is a so called hot shot, who's lying to everyone (his wife, hisgirlfriend, his "colleague" and lots of persons that hope to start acareeras an actor) just to make a personal profit out of it. This doesn't stayunnoticed. When Stu picks up a ringing phone in a phone booth ("somehowyouknow it's your call") he doesn't know that this will be the longest andmostconfrontating conversation he ever had by phone. The caller (the voice ofKiefer Sutherland, who has the perfect voice for this!!) makes him confessall his lies to anyone that is close to him by keeping a sniper riflepointed at him. At first Stu doesn't believe the caller, but when a localpimp is shot down, just before his eyes, this suddenly changes. Stubecomesthe main suspect for this murder, and in no time he is surrounded bypolicemen, interested people and TV stations. Almost every movement of himis now being watched by millions of people nationwide including thecaller.The turning point in this fascinating movie is when Stu knows to open asecond line with a mobile phone, not noticed by the caller. The police canknow hear the input of Stu in the conversation that he must keep with thetrue murderer. They can now trace the call, and in the final sceneseverything comes to a happy end, which is according to me the onlyunsatisfying point. The movie gave me the idea that this wouldn't have toend like this with a moral. The impact would have been even bigger whenJoelSchumacher created another end.But everyone that likes original movies must go and see this movie. To meitwas too long ago that we could see one.

Dan 2012-05-20 03:51:24

An awful Film

Warning: The following contains spoilers: Skip this movie if you haven'tseen it already.Why didn't the plot follow up on the sniper's ability to prevent the phonecall from beingtapped? Was he an electronics expert -- should that have tied into why hewas angrywith Stu? Who was this sniper, anyways? Are we supposed to accept thatflimsyvigilante reasoning for why he chose Stu? Shouldn't it be obvious to usthat thepizza delivery guy had been murdered before the standoff began (the sniperhad noconversation with anyone other than Stu during that hour).The script went nowhere with no development of who this sniper was eventhough hewas the antagonist in the film. Worst of all, that was the mostdissatisfying ending Ihave ever seen. Talk about anti-climatic. It seems Larry Cohen andJoelSchumacherjust wanted to torture audiences for an hour and twenty minutes.

2012-05-19 00:04:14

Beware about your free will!

In the middle of the Big Apple a successful but outlaw executive (to win , to win , no matter the prize) will have an unexpected with an extension of his conscious embodied in a merciless , unscrupulous and disturbed man in the other side of the telephone line. Somehow this invisible enemy works out as his mirror distorted image.Sharp metaphor and interesting approach about the dark side of the moon in the human being. This cathartic experience will be unforgettable for him because never before this hell's journey will allow him to explore his real nature.That dark confession about his secret life backstage will be increasing. The dramatic construction is formidable. The different suspenseful vignettes are carefully filmed thanks a dazzling camera work , accenting the inner tension in our victim. He will have to face the sinister consequences of an out of control ethic, a real therapy session searching for his inner demons with New York city as landscape. Another additional evidence the film noir genre is still alive.

moviewizguy 2012-05-18 02:54:10

Kelly or Pam? Kelly or Pam?

This film is about Stuart Shepard, who is a rich but selfish man. Hecalls his girlfriend, Pam, on the last phone booth in New York everydayat the same time. Suddenly, the phone rings. He picks it up and there'sa man on the other line. The caller says if Stu hangs up the phone,he'll have to shoot him. Now Stu has to find a way out of thesituation. If Stu doesn't follow the callers instructions, he's dead.This movie is thrilling. It keeps you to the edge-of-your-seats. In thebeginning of the movie, you meet Stu who shows his selfishness in hisactions. He gets punished for his sins by a man who might shoot him.Why does Stu have to call Pam in a phone booth everyday? Becayse hiswife, Kelly check his phone bills so she doesn't noticed that he hasbeen cheating on her.I have to admit it. I did cry a little. The way the film brings out theemotions is just powerful. This movie will also keep your heartpounding. The whole movie takes place in a phone booth the whole time,as you guessed. Police gets involved in the plot, later on. This filmis also funny. Like the hookers. The acting is great, I have to say, byboth Colin Farrel and Forest Whitaker.Larry Cohen, who wrote this film, also have written Cellular, anotherfilm that is also thrilling.This is a great thriller that keeps you to the edge-of-the-seats withsome humor, excitement, and some emotions. It's short that you canwatch it over and over again. It's just that good. Well, not betterthan Cellular.

loogenhausen 2012-05-16 16:44:03

Let It Go To Voicemail...

Most people don't know it, but Joel Schumacher is actually quite atalented director. He'll never live down the embarrassment of 'Batman &Robin' but since then he has had two films that are top notchproductions. 'Tigerland' is one. This is the other. Schumacher andColin Farrell re team for the second time (Farrell also starred in'Tigerland', his breakout role) and really ratchet up the tension witha free-fall thriller that goes for broke at a breakneck pace. The storymoves incredibly fast at a brisk 80 minutes or so, stopping a scant fewtimes to try to develop some character moments. There's no time forsilly subplots or excess narrative, which is one of the film's strongpoints. The performances are at the very least pretty decent. There aresome ham-fisted moments among the tension, mostly from Farrell, but hedoes do a nice job of carrying the picture since he's in virtually 99%of the movie. Keifer Sutherland is sufficiently menacing and acerbic asthe mysterious sniper/caller, although he sometimes sounds like JeremyIrons' character Scar from 'The Lion King.' The ending is well done anddoesn't lead to a silly action chase or dumb set-piece where the herogoes after the bad guy, which would have blown the whole moviecompletely. Congrats to Schumacher for making a small, claustrophobicfilm with some nice acting. It does have some silly dialogue at times,as well as a few lapses of logic, but it doesn't overstay its welcomeand will remain known as a fast, cheap and rather effective exercise insmall-scale suspense.

firestarter2020 2012-05-16 08:45:57

Simply intense.

WOW Is what I said when I left the theatre for this oneWOW.This was probably one of the most intense movies I have seen in the movietheatre. Im not going to go into the plot but just let me say, the actinginthis movie is amazingly good. Colin was great, Keifer was great, hell theguy who played the cop was great.This movie is truley great, but it won't get anything from the Academy butwho cares, SEE THIS MOVIE!

Framescourer 2012-05-15 01:11:07

On hold for 80 mins

I decided to take a chance despite this Joel Schumaker flick looking shorton ideas. We should all trust our instinct more... There is no really goodacting (I got teasing flashes of what Forest Whitaker is capable of) and ascript/storyline that couldn't be saved by it anyway. There are SO manymoments in this film where people seem to be taking decisions purely to keepthe suspense going in the movie, rather than as a necessity of thenarrative. At one point Farrell improvises the excuse that he is talking tohis shrink - well, there are plenty of times during the film that one thinksthe only way to explain the bizarre, incoherent one-liners (of allcharcetrs) and decisions is that Farrell is, in fact, mad.Kiefer Sutherland plays the hostage-taker... I saw '24' for the first timeyesterday and was warming back to him after a period of nonplussedness.Well, he looks cool but there won't be any serious voiceover work troublinghis agent. The (principal) women are just decoration. The reason that thisfilm appeals at any level is the creeping suggestion of satire (dealt withmuch more thoroughly in another average film, 15 Minutes) and a fundocu-filmed opening sequence of Times Square.I'm going to go and see Francis Ford Coppola's The Conversation to cleansemy retinas and make a 4/10 mental note not to see anything where the trailerlooks to contain all the interesting moments. Because it probablydoes.

2012-05-14 19:57:47

bad marketing, good movie

A man answers a rining phone, and then his life is threatened. He must stay on the phone or a sniper, whom he can't see, will kill him. The sniper proves himself not afraid to kill by offing a toy robot and then a strip club owner. Stu, the guy in the booth, must tell his wife he's a fake and break up with his girlfriend or someone (Stu, wife or girlfriend) will get shot.That is the basic story, and more than I knew going into the theatre. I bought tickets because what I wanted to see was sold out, and blindly sat to watch a movie I was told "wasn't too bad" by the ticket seller. Forrest Whittaker is in this, as well as Colin Ferrel and Katie Holmes. If Kiefer Southerlands name was in the begining, I didn't see it. All through the movie the voice of the sniper sounded familiar, but I couldn't place where from. At the denoument of the film, when we realize the outcome, I was probably the only person in the theatre surprised to see Keifer. Outside of the fact that I can't understand why a sniper would single out ONE man because he's phony, the movie is interesting. Or maybe it's just because I spent the entire movie trying to recognize a voice everyone else knew was there.Toss the cover and wait a few years to watch this one. The cast is good, but the movie is spioled when you know eveyone in it right away.

ilovedolby 2012-05-10 08:28:40

`Phone Booth' is that it is tense, taut, and terrific!!!

Director Joel Schumacher brings us the long awaited `Phone Booth,' whichstars Colin Farrell, the ever-growing celebrity of such films as `MinorityReport,' and `The Recruit.' This film's release was delayed, at least to myknowledge, at least two times. It was last scheduled for release on November15, 2002. But once again, due to Hollywood's new campaign of ‘sensitivity'in the wake of 9/11, the release was held back until now. Allow me to beginmy review of `Phone Booth' with the following-it was worth the wait! Thismovie was great. I have to admit that I was concerned that it would be overthe top, and perhaps be too sensationalized to feel realistic. On thecontrary, `Phone Booth' is filled with nail-biting suspense that will leavethe audience on the edge of their seats. The premise follows that of Stuart Sheppard (Farrell), a publicist with apenchant for dressing in Italian suits, lying to his wife, employees and thepeople that he's trying to turn into icons. However, on a particular day inbusy New York City, he heads to a phone booth to call his girlfriend, whodoesn't realize that he's married. After he hangs up the phone, it rings andhe picks up. On the line is an anonymous person who knows every littledetail about Stu's life and wants to make him pay for the lies that helives. The plot unfolds and the truth about Stu's life is about to be told,in a way he could never have imagined. I was so impressed with the suspense that this film incorporated. Farrellis great in this role, as he is in almost anything he does-the Irish bornactor just has raw talent. He has worked with director Schumacher before onthe Vietnam War flick, `Tigerland.' Despite the fact that `Phone Booth' wasoriginally scheduled for release in 2002, it's actual release now in 2003makes it the third film that Farrell has appeared in this year-and it's onlyApril. Besides playing opposite Al Pacino in `The Recruit,' Farrell playsthe psychotic hit man, Bullseye in `Daredevil.' Look for him in three otherfilms due out later this year: `Veronica Guerin,' S.W.A.T.,' and`Intermission.' Kiefer Sutherland provides the haunting voice of the man on the other endof the line. Sutherland is a great actor and is often cast as the bad guy.He can be seen in the hit Fox TV show, `24.' He, like Farrell, has alsoworked with Schumacher on another film, `A Time To Kill,' opposite MatthewMcConaughey. Sutherland's role in `Phone Booth' reminded me of Gary Sinise'srole in the 1996 thriller, `Ransom,' which starred Mel Gibson and wasdirected by Ron Howard, in which Sinise played a man obsessed with puttingthe rich guy in his place. `Phone Booth' also holds the great talents of Forest Whitaker, who was lastseen in `Panic Room.' Whitaker portrays an N.Y.P.D. captain by the name ofRamey. Radha Mitchell (`Pitch Black') plays Stu's wife, Kelly. `Dawson'sCreek' star, Katie Holmes, plays Stu's young girlfriend, Pam.`Phone Booth' isn't entirely original, but damn, is it good! My heart waspounding at various points in the film in which the tension in the theatercould be cut with a knife. The bottom line with `Phone Booth' is that it istense, taut, and terrific. ***

jasonz42 2012-05-09 14:14:25

Masterfully crafted and entertaining film

This was one of the most entertaining movies i have seen in years, mostlybecause it was so simple and skillfully directed. This film could wellhavebeen incredibly boring- after all, over 80 minutes focused on a man in aphone booth talking to a sniper could be as good as a sleeping pill, yetColin Farrel's stellar performance and a witty script make it extremelywatchable. While simply through its setting and plot it will never be ableto reach the heights of a massive blockbuster, for what it is and itsbudgetit is the greatest achievement filmwise i have seen in a very long time.Thestoryline is well worked out and builds to a nice climax, and withoutrealising it you will be tense and on the edge of your seat for most ofthemovie. Twists and sudden turns in the movie make it unpredictable andhencekeep the interest levels high. I had intended to enjoy my girlfriend'scompany when i went to watch this- instead i ended up engrossed in afantastic drama/thriller which is sure to please most viewers.

mrbond420 2012-05-09 01:50:57

***Spoiler***Warning***Top 10 Worst Movies Ever

Eighty-six minutes of pure torture. That's the best way to describethis "film." Boring, contrived, uneventful...there aren't enough wordsin the English language to slander this film adequately. Especiallywhen the advertisements include the names Colin Farrell, ForrestWhitake, and KIEFER SUTHERLAND. Fifteen minutes into the movie, youknow who Colin and Forrest are, so who could the killer be? WOAH, whata surprise! It is definitely on my top ten worst movies of all timelist. So, if you liked this movie, you might like some of the others onmy list: "Wild, Wild West," "Leprechaun in the Hood," "Glitter,""Sandlot 2," "Kazaam," and anything with Jennifer "I have no talent buta big butt" Lopez. On second thought, if you liked any of these movies,it's probably best just to shoot yourself. You supporting these filmsencourages Hollywood to keep making them.

2012-05-08 07:20:14

it isn't great

i liked this movie but it was way too short for a five star review. i found out allot of ways to like this movie but my main reason was the succesful premise. it's suspenseful and it's got one of the best younger actors in it Colin Farrell. would i reccomend it? yes but be warned that it's only one hour and 15 minutes long but it wastes no time getting into the story and that's what makes it a good movie.

2012-05-05 13:36:12

phone booze

artsi fartsi direction? please could anybody stop the director of this making more.

2012-05-05 02:29:46

**** GRIPPING STUFF ****

For a couple of years now (since Tigerland) Colin Farrell has been much vaunted as the next big thing but with the exception of his supporting role in Speilberg's Minority Report, Farrell's subsequent additions to his CV have hardly enhanced his reputation. Movies such as Hart's War and The Recruit have left both audiences and critics somewhat underwhelmed, whilst the release of Phone Booth was much delayed due to the real life Washington snipers mindless killing of innocent people. So what of Phone Booth: Is it any good and does Colin Farrell deserve the tag of next big thing? Farrell plays Stu Shepard a slimy, unscrupulous, and very small time, Manhattan PR man with a daily habit of using the same old fashioned phone booth to call a prospective client (Katie Holmes) with whom he is trying to start an affair with. After all he wouldn't want his wife to see a mobile phone bill listing calls to other women, would he? Enticed into picking up the ringing phone, Stu becomes trapped by an unseen sniper who tells him that he will be killed if he tries to leave the booth or puts down the phone. 'What do you want?' demands Stu, 'I want your complete attention' replies the sniper (Kiefer Sutherland) and not only does he get Stu's complete attention he gets the audiences too as we watch Stu unravel into a [weak] mess pleading for his life over the next seventy minutes. With his cocky charm, good looks and uncanny ability to mimic an American accent, Farrell is perfect for the part, which was at one point reportedly earmarked for Will Smith. The Dublin born actor appears to revel in playing the anti-hero forced into confessing his sins by the psycho sniper playing God in order to achieve some form of redemption. There are good supporting performances too from the likes of Forrest Whittaker as the cop in charge at the scene and in particular Kiefer Sutherland as the menacing assassin at the other end of the line. Written by veteran writer/producer/Director Larry Cohen and Directed by Joel Schumacher, responsible for the very lamentable Batman & Robin, Phone Booth is (in my humble opinion) a very exciting and claustrophobic edge of the seat thriller. Cohen's script and Schumacher's Direction keep the movie lean and tight, steadily cranking up the tension to new heights right up until the movies conclusion. Cohen's script is so ingenious in that it takes an old movie premise (the irresistible ringing phone that has to be answered and the anonymous caller) and gives it a new spin. It's almost hard to believe that this is the same Joel Schumacher responsible for the last two movies of the Batman franchise. Indeed this is very much a return to form for the man that brought us the urban thriller "Falling Down". Keeping you hooked throughout its (by current standards) relatively short running time, it is refreshing to see the old adage that less is sometimes more once again proved true. ..., this is top-drawer entertainment and the best thriller I've seen in a long while. There are certainly much worse ways to spend 81 minutes, so take my advice and give this one a try, I'm sure you wont regret it!!! Four stars ****.