Customer Reviews

Message in Cell Phone [VHS]

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This movie deserves a lot more attention than it has received. It's one of the best movies I've seen in this genre. The story was exciting and for the most part close to believeable without too much effort put into suspension of disbelief. I mean, sure, there are a few two many coincidences occurring when a kid whose father has been framed and imprisoned winds up unintentionally stumbing on evidence which leads to his father's release and vindication, but the fun tone of the movie makes this easy to accept. The soundtrack and production were very strong. Some of the actors seemed a little inexperienced at times (and strangely enough, I'm talking about the adults in the movie and not the kids!), but overall they pulled it off and made a very fun movie.

This movie came as a recommendation from Amazon and while it's rare for me to take those suggestions, I decided I'd try this one. Actually, I am quite pleased. Message was a fun little thrill ride that held my interest throughout, and offered up a nice bit of suspense to boot.

The story is interesting. Boy finds cell phone, tries to return it to it's owner only to hear from outside his door a message being left on a cell phone about a drop and when its to take place and then a short conversation between this man and someone else in the room, then silenced gunshots. Now everyone from DEA agents to bumbling hitmen are out to get this cell phone before the drop takes place, and it's never clear who's who until the end, so the whole time you're rooting for the boy and his 2 friends to overcome all the obstacles in his way. It helps too that theres a correlation of this whole incident with the framing of the boy's ex DEA agent dad, which landed him in jail.

Best scene: when the bad guys find out the boy's name and get to his house. Great suspense and naturally ingenious scene for the young boy.

All in all Message in a Cell Phone is a good example of a kids thriller done right, and wouldn't it be nice if there were more of this type of movie. 3.5 stars

This is a fun kids movie about 3 kids who must crack a voice mail code and some desperate men who will do anything to stop it.It's a must see!!

This really was a lot of fun to watch for all of us - my husband, 12 year old son, 10 year old daughter and myself! Very exciting and fast paced! They should make a lot more of these type of movies for families to enjoy together. Don't dwell on the acting - you can't on these type of family movies! Just enjoy the fun ride...it's quick and very enjoyable!

"Message in a Cell Phone" was made in 2000 and is an intelligent

and absorbing little movie about three young boys who by accident

rather than intent are drawn into an adult world of deceit and

corruption and the result is fascinating entertainment.

Chase Patterson (Nick Whitaker) and his two friends are swimming

and having fun at a resort pool when an unattended cell phone

rings and a curious Chase answers the phone. It is the phone's

owner who inadvertantly left the phone by the pool when he

returned to his unit and being in a hurry to catch a plane,

requests Chase to take the phone up to his unit for which he

will give him $5. So begins a series of perplexing events.

When Chase arrives at the door of the unit, he hears an

arguement and a scuffle followed by a gunshot. Suspecting foul

play, he summons the resort manager but when they enter the unit

they find nobody there and nothing has been disturbed.

Apparently the man who left the cell phone by the pool was a

Federal Narcotics Agent and those who disposed of him were

illegal drug dealers.

Chase is sure that there has been foul play but cannot prove it.

Chase still has the cell phone in his possession and soon after

he receives calls on it from various people trying to find out

who has the phone and how they can get it back. He then realizes

how important the cell phone is and that it must hold

incriminating information stored in its voice mail system.

Big problem - he does not know the code to access this data.

Chase and his friends spend considerable time trying to break the

code. Then the boss of the drug dealers, tired of waiting for

results from his underlings, intervenes and finally on the cell

phone offers Chase a huge sum of money in an attempt to get the

phone back. It is during this conversation that he finds out the

boy's name when his irritated mother shouts out his name (in

full) to get him to the table to eat his meal. This now puts

Chase in serious danger and it becomes a game no longer.

The movie becomes more tense and menacing when Chase is left at

home alone one night and a masked man breaks into the home to

take the phone and he threatens Chase. This results in a

desperate scramble around the house with Chase eventually

managing to avoid his attacker.

Whilst fleeing along the deserted street, a friend of the family

who was driving by, picks up the panic stricken Chase and tells

him that he will drive him to the Police Station where he can

report the matter. On the way there, they have to stop at the

local entertainment centre where Chase's life is again

threatened.

The climax to the movie comes when Chase is finally trapped on

the upper level of the entertainment centre and all alone he

must face his attacker.

Thrilling and nail-biting stuff isn't it ?

You will surely want to know:

* Who Chase's hooded attacker is (unexpected surprise).

* What happens when Chase is trapped in the entertainment centre.

Sorry, but I should not reveal all here.

Buy the disc and find out for yourself.

You won't be disappointed.

If you like crime movies with kid protagonists (The Window, The Hostage, The Client, Playing Dangerous, Home Alone) this one is about average compared to those. After his cop-father is framed and imprisoned, a boy and his two buds find a cell phone by a hotel swimming pool, and it's owner gets murdered before they can return it. They know there's an important message but have to crack the password to find out what it's about. In the mean time shady characters are calling the phone and trying to get it, gradually getting closer.

It's not as serious or suspenseful as The Window or The Client, but more appropriate for children; yet not as funny as Home Alone - and not meant to be. It's well made with good acting and a story that holds together, resulting in a suspense film for the whole family.