Phone Booth
Phone Booth ★★ 2002 (R)
Stu (Farrell), a slimy Broadway publicist, uses a phone booth to call a would-be actress he's been stringing along. After he hangs up, the phone rings and he answers it, only to be informed that if he hangs up or runs, he'll be shot. To prove his point, the unseen sniper (voiced by Sutherland), kills a pimp who's been wanting the booth for himself. After the interesting premise and set-up, what follows is a disappointing mix of suspense thriller cliches and Schumacher's trademark visual stunts. It all adds up to nothing more than a showcase for Farrell, who does a great job as the weasel who must face and confess the fact that he hasn't been a very nice guy. Whitaker, Holmes and Mitchell are wasted in one-dimensional roles. Cohen has been trying to get the script, filmed in real time, made for about 30 years. 81m/C VHS, DVD, Blu-ray Disc . US Colin Farrell, Forest Whitaker, Katie Holmes, Radha Mitchell, Kiefer Sutherland, Richard T. Jones, Keith Nobbs, John Enos, James MacDonald, Josh Pais, Paula Jai Parker, Tia Texada; D: Joel Schumacher; W: Larry Cohen; C: Matthew Libatique; M: Harry Gregson-Williams.