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Plot Summary
Stu (Colin Farrell) is a New
York “wheeler dealer” who calls himself a publicist. He uses gossip
and tricks to get publicity for his wannabe singer, actor and actress
clients. Working from the street on his mobile phones he is ruthless.
Business is business and the end result is all that matters. Not all his
calls are made on his mobile phones. He uses a particular pay phone
everyday to call his girlfriend so that his wife doesn’t know.
One
day after talking to his girlfriend the pay phone rings and when he
answers he discovers that the caller knows who he is and a lot more about
him. Stu gets worried when the caller tells him that he is pointing a
sniper's rifle at him and that if he doesn’t do what he is told he will
be shot…
Review
Nearly this entire movie is
filmed in and around the phone booth that Stu (Colin Farrell) finds
himself trapped in. This obviously limits the development of the
characters and story, and the movie suffers because of this.
None of the characters are
developed in any way. The Stu character should have been developed further
before the phone booth incident. The audience only get a quick
introduction to him and, because of this, there is indifference to his
plight and the outcome. Likewise, with his wife and girlfriend there is
little or no time given to allowing the audience know what type of people
they are and it is difficult to empathise with them.
The story doesn’t really make
any sense. The reasons given for signalling out Stu just aren’t valid.
It fact it would probably have been better if no reason was given rather
that the inadequate attempt to justify the attack on Stu. We are asked to
believe that Stu has been signalled because he is low on morals!
Also given the circumstances any sane person would have hung up and
made a run for it long before it developed into a “hostage situation”!
In fairness to Colin Farrell
his performance is very good. He looks genuinely scared angry and upset as
the story unfolds. As he features in most of the movie it was important
that his performance was good and it is not his performance but the story
and the way it is told that lets the movie down.
The talents of Forest Whitaker
who played the policeman-in-charge and Kiefer Sutherland who played the
sniper where total underused while others like Katie Holmes didn’t get
much of a look in.
The
Bottom Line: A disappointing thriller with an unconvincing story.
Reviewed by Niall Quinn,
Premier
Movie Reviews 2003
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