Directed By: Joel Schumacher
Starring: Colin Farrell, Kiefer Sutherland, Forest Whitaker, Katie Holmes and Radha Mitchell
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 71%
IMDB Rating: 7.1
Synopsis
A young Colin Farrell portrays slick New York publicist Stuart Shepard, who, in the midst of his daily infidelity ritual, answers a ringing payphone only to find his survival linked to his next move as a seemingly omnipotent stranger has Shepard in his cross-hairs.
Review
Joel Schumacher's 2002 suspense thriller begins on a nondescript Manhattan sidewalk as we are introduced to our protagonist (?) Stuart Sheppard juggling multiple phone calls as he is followed by his assistant. This introduction establishes Sheppard as a stereotypical, two-timing, fast-talking press agent able to talk his way out of any situation. Sheppard dismisses his assistant and makes his way to a public phone booth in Manhattan. Here, Sheppard's initial characterisation is reinforced as we learn that Sheppard is unfaithful (I know big surprise). However, as Sheppard finishes his call and is about to leave the phone unexpectedly rings and with it our movie really begins...Enter "The Caller" (Kiefer Sutherland). This seemly omnipotent psychopath systematically proceeds to force our "hero" to confess his sins publicly, raising the stakes at every turn as we watch Sheppard's nightmare slowly unfold.
Going back to this movie in 2014 is slightly jarring. In a world of smartphones the idea of a movie based around a public telephone booth seems almost archaic. Honestly, even in 2002 the idea seemed slightly weird, yet the movie does go out of its way to give the phone booth a purpose, and as the premise unfolds you tend to forget the far-fetched nature of the plot as you're sucked into the intrigue.
A lot rides on Farrell's performance and his ability to draw us in. How does he do? Farrell plays the lying New York publicist perfectly. Hate is perhaps too strong a word. Farrell plays Sheppard as morally reprehensible yet you can't help but admire how he operates - juggling clients and nonchalantly bribing individual. As the movie unfolds you find yourself sympathizing with Sheppard as his life is dismantled. There is one monologue in particular towards the end of the film where Farrell shines.
Sutherland's performance is limited to voice work. Unlike Sheppard, who has an arc in the movie, beginning as the lying scumbag and evolving through his experience, "The Caller" is the generic psychotic villain who seems to have too much time on his hand. Sutherland's performance is fine, even approaching very good at occasions. Yet, the character itself isn't really fleshed out. He seems to have no motive for doing what he's doing. Moreover, his character seems to have strong religious overtones. Religious themes in movies can work when executed well. Unfortunately that's not the case here...the symbolism and metaphors are extremely overt something which I found off-putting. Perhaps I'm expecting too much from a popcorn action thriller. As Roger Ebert puts it:
"The shooter seems to represent either God, demanding a confession of sins, or the filmmakers, having their revenge on publicists."
Actually the lack of purpose makes "The Caller" interesting in a different way. The character seems to have an almost Heath Ledger Joker vibe about him. Though Sutherland has no clear motive for his actions the sheer enjoyment he takes in the act itself is enjoyable to watch and pulls us in to the scene. In all, Sutherland makes for an engaging (if not slightly generic) villain.
Of the supporting cast, Forest Whitaker stands out as the main cop.
Though not perfect, I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. I found the individual performances of Farrell and Sutherland to be engaging enough to cover any plot holes and inconsistencies. A little slow to start, this movie had me hooked from the moment Sheppard entered the phone booth and there was no chance of me disconnecting. (bad pun intended)
I give Phone Booth a 8.5/10
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Next review: Panic Room
