REVIEW
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PHONE BOOTH REVIEW
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Posted on August 2, 2004
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I first saw the trailer of this movie on Tribute TV, which is a program that shows trailers of upcoming movies. The whole idea of having someone caught up in a phone booth due to some sniper aiming at him was definitely interesting. The movie was bound to have suspense, and be a thriller. I rented the movie on DVD to watch with a couple of friends who were leaving to Chicago the next morning.
The movie started by showing us the busy lifestyles of people in New York City. Eventually the focus shifted onto Stu (played by Collin Farrel), a publicist who supposedly had connections with several celebrities and thus was in demand by the people (e.g. restaurant owners) of New York City. Everyone knew who Stu was and he apparently made everything happen for them. With his flashy Italian clothing, Stu looked every inch as a smart, successful publicist.
After showing a little of Stu's life, we get to the phone booth and that is where the movie takes a turn for the best. The sniper has Stu stuck in a phone booth and is making Stu do every single thing that he desires. With a tense, but not irritating, environment, Phone Booth turns out to be one of the best movies of the year. The whole movie is carried through and through by Collin Farrel's amazing acting. You believe that he is a publicist and that he has gone through the difficult situation that he is in. Alongside Collin Farrel's talents comes that of Joel Schumacher who is the director of Phone Booth (and of movies like the Client, A time to Kill, Batman Forever and others). Schumacher provided excellent direction and use of camera techniques to really bring this movie alive. Small frames were used to show scenes happening at the same time but in two different places (e.g. Stu talking to his wife on his cellphone). Besides that, theres not much else to note. The movie was less than an hour and a half but was entertaining all the way till the end. The movie definitely had a low budget in comparison to movies like Terminator 3 and the Hulk, but still did well on having an impact on its viewers.
All in all, this is a must see movie. I heard that the movie's release was delayed so that it would not arrive in theatres when real sniper shootings were taking place in the US of A. Go watch this movie, I can't say any more.
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(Rating: A)
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