Colin Farrell, in my serious, God-given opinion, is slowly taking over Hollywood. The man is oozing charisma through every pore in his face. His Irish heritage and accent also pulls in the ladies like trout on a good fishing trip. Okay, bad example. Colin is a wonderful actor, I've been saying it to my friends for years. I told them he was the next big thing, and you know what, I was right again. Phone Booth is Farrell's first really good film to feature him in the lead (I'll exlude American Outlaws, even though I enjoyed it). So, on with the review.
PHONE BOOTH is the short, small story of a single working man in busy New York city. The man, Stu Shepherd (Farrell) is a PR executive for a bunch of young up-and-coming act in the city, including a white rapper and a beautiful young lady (Katie Holmes). The problem is, Stu is a royal dick. He lies, cheats, and manipulates his way in and out of peoples lives. He lies to his trainee, Adam (Keith Nobbs), telling him he'll start getting paid later in the week. Oh yeah, one more thing, he is seriously considering cheating on his wife (Radha Mitchell) with his beautiful young ladie client, Pamela. He carries on long conversation with her every day over a phone in a booth, the last in the city. He does this so his wife, who checks his phone bills, won't suspect anything. Well, Stu gets the callback off his life one day after a conversation with Pamela, from a man with a rifle pointed straight at his head. The following eighty (that's right, 80) minutes revoles around this booth, the man inside, and the cop trying to help him out.It is a story of redemption, fear, and confessions.
PHONE BOOTH is a wild ride that grabs you by the throat at the beginning and doesn't let go 'till the end credit are up. Colin plays his part to a T, nailing the accent and fear and cockiness of one of these young, New York morons. Farrell is also backed up by a great supporting cast, with Whitaker as the cop with issues and the two younf ladies that are imersed in his life. Kiefer scared the crap out of me as the caller, often times just laughing at what Stu is saying. Some of his lines are really freakin cool.
Joel Schumacher, who directed Farrell in Tigerland, and unfortunately directed the horrible Batman & Robin, makes up for all his sins with taught direction and tricky camera angles. He also pumps of the tension with split-screens and cool effects shots. Keeping the story in the booth is a great move, giving it a hugely claustrophobic feel.
See PHONE BOOTH for Farrell, who rules the house, and a great story with taught suspense and an interesting conclusion.
P.S. : The dude who played the Pizza guy made me feel for him, his reactions seemed heartfelt. YOU RULED DUDE! |
