“Cellular” (New Line Cinema)
“Cellular” is a movie with a gimmick but that gimmick works just fine to draw audiences into theaters and keep them entertained. The whole crux of the movie is the dependence of a kidnapped woman to keep a young man on his cell phone so he can help her. This would seem to be an unlikely premise to sustain an entire film, but believe me it works.
Kim Basinger plays Jessica Martin, a high school science teacher with a husband and young son. One day a trio of men burst into her home and kidnap her. They take her to a secluded house where she is imprisoned. It is basically a bare room but there is a wall phone there.
Jason Statham plays Greer, the leader of the kidnappers. He busts the phone into pieces when he puts her in the attic. Still our girl Jessica is one smart cookie and she manages to put the pieces back together enough to make a random connection with a young man named Ryan (Chris Evans) on his cell phone.
At first Ryan thinks everything Jessica says is a joke but then he begins to take her seriously. He even contacts a policeman named Mooney (William H Macy) but nothing comes of that encounter. It is basically up to Ryan to save Jessica and her family.
The movie keeps up the pace of tension and excitement while still having moments of hilarity. One of these involves the cell phone batteries getting weak and Ryan not being able to find a charger. He finally has to take desperate measures that are appropriate but still comical.
Basinger plays the damsel in distress perfectly, with just the right blend of gumption. Jessica isn’t a woman who will stand back and let others rescue her; she springs into action herself. Basinger makes her a combination of beauty, brains and even brawn.
Evans is also good as the young man who is happy go lucky until fate steps in and makes him a hero. This is a career making role for Evans and he makes the best of it. He will surely get bigger and better roles after this one.
Macy and Statham are also good, and that comes as no surprise. Macy is perfect for the bumbling but good intentioned Mooney; while Statham is picture perfect as Greer. He is the type of actor who can make menacing a terrifying thing to see. He exudes force and a sense of evil.
The movie is rated PG-13 for violence and profanity.
“Cellular” is one of those surprise movies which is even better than it looks in the trailer. You will have fun with it from beginning to end and will walk out of the theater thinking you have finally seen a movie worth the price of admission. It may be a “gimmick” movie but this time the “gimmick” works from beginning to end.
I scored “Cellular” a don’t hang up 7 out of 10.
