“Phone Booth” (20th Century Fox)
“Phone Booth” is a movie which was supposed to have been released several months ago, but because of the real life Washington, DC sniper it was delayed until now. It’s a pity it wasn’t delayed indefinitely as it is pretty slim pickings as far as entertainment goes. Colin Farrell and Keifer Sutherland star in this tale of sniper and prey. Both have done better work elsewhere and hopefully will again.
Stu Shepard (Farrell) is a hotshot publicist in New York who thinks he is cooler than he actually is. He loves the idea of being Mr. Big as he walks down the streets of New York hollering into his cell phone and barking at his volunteer assistant.
He also stops each day and makes a phone call from a public phone booth. This call is to a young actress named Pam (Katie Holmes). Stu has great fantasies about Pam but never actually does anything about them. He can’t make this call from his cell phone because his wife (Radha Mitchel) checks the bill.
One day after he has just talked with Pam, the public phone rings. Instead of ignoring it like he should, he answers it. A voice (Sutherland) tells him if he tries to leave the phone booth he will kill him. At first Stu scoffs at this but then the unseen sniper proves he is dead serious.
The rest of the movie is concerned with Stu dealing with the sniper and the police detective (Forest Whitaker) who arrives on the scene. The detective tells him to step out of the booth while the sniper is telling him if he moves he dies.
All of this sounds more interesting than it is. When I saw the film, the audience I was with laughed and hooted at the plot and the oily sound of the sniper’s voice. Snipers are a serious subject but this film makes them play like a bad joke.
Farrell is okay as the man in the booth. He does a good job of sweating and acting nervous in other ways. He doesn’t, however, make you feel any sympathy for the man. Sutherland’s voice role is stupid. He is ominously threatening but with the lines he is given to read, the sniper comes off as comic relief.
Whitaker does nothing with his part, and Katie Holmes….well Katie had better pray for a “Dawson’s Creek” revival. Too say she is bad is being generous. She is awful! Radha Mitchel isn’t much better.
The film is rated R for profanity and violence.
My advice for the day. If you get a call to go see “Phone Booth” HANG UP!
I scored “Phone Booth” a dialed out 3 out of 10.
©2003 Jackie K. Cooper
