If you thought a telemarketer was the worst thing that could happen when you answer the phone, this film’s high-concept premise might change your mind. Set almost entirely in and around a single New York City pay phone, Phone Booth is essentially a one-act morality play about lies and infidelity, disguised as a thriller.
The liar and cheater in question is one Stuart Shepard (Colin Farrell), publicist to the would-be stars. Like any good publicist, Stu is shrewd and adept at orchestrating elaborate lies to attract notice for his D-list clientele (each of whom he assures is his favourite). His slick-talking skills also come in handy to keep his young assistant working for free, and to make sure his wife Kelly (Radha Mitchell) and aspiring-actress girlfriend Pam (Katie Holmes) remain happily unaware of each other’s existence.
Unfortunately for Stu, his weaselly lifestyle has attracted some notice of its own. After he makes his customary phone-booth call to Pam (because it won’t show up on a cellular bill), he is surprised to hear the phone ringing. When he answers it—as the film points out, a ringing phone has to be answered—the voice on the other end tells him he’ll be shot if he hangs up. Stu isn’t buying, at least until the laser pointer on his shoulder and the sound of a bolt-action rifle in the receiver convince him to stay put. (The sniper element is why the film’s release has been delayed until now, after everyone has forgotten about those Beltway shootings.)
There are some fine moments early on that manage to be tense and funny at the same time. (In one scene, Stu tries to divide his attention between a shrill, pissed-off hooker outside the booth and the sniper’s mocking commentary on the phone.) But once certain events cause the police to show up, the film shifts into a more predictable hostage-drama mode involving Stu, the sniper and a cautious negotiator played by Forest Whitaker.
It should be obvious that a film about a guy trapped on the phone with a killer is going to be talky, but writer Larry Cohen brings a characteristic touch of depth to what would otherwise be generic material. The result is a thriller that blurs the standard lines between good and bad characters, right down to the morally ambiguous ending. Director Joel Schumacher and cinematographer Matthew Libatique (both of whom also collaborated with Farrell on 2000’s Tigerland) keep things visually engaging with an overlapping split-screen effect that’s a lot like looking at multiple windows on a computer screen. (At barely over 80 minutes, the film is also short enough that it doesn’t wear on past the point of interest.) But their wisest choice is keeping the camera on Farrell, letting the Irish-born actor prove that his current It Boy status is no fluke. In a performance that requires everything from cocky arrogance to utter humility, Farrell turns Cohen’s one-act play into a one-man showcase.
(3/4)