Customer Reviews

Phone Booth [VHS]

5 star:		(82)
4 star:		(104)
3 star:		(57)
2 star:		(35)
1 star:		(30)

 

 

In what seems like the most unlikely premise of all, we are treated to one of the most suspenseful movies so far this year. Not many people could take a film that has 90% of it taking place in a phone booth and still make it good, but Schumaker pulls it off here. Colin Farrell really shines in this movie, and as the suspense mounts toward the film's resolution, you really feel sorry for him. The sense of hopelessness he's feeling becomes your own as you realize there's no easy way out of the situation. The only thing I have against this film is that it could have easily been made into a PG-13 film for a wider audience range with just the loss of profanity. The violence is not as full as Lord of the Rings, but every third word is profanity and that's what earned it the R rating. I understand that you're trying to show Farrell's character's mounting desperation, but it could have been toned down a bit. Still, Keifer Sutherland's calm and even-tempered tone of voice is just psychotic enough to make you cringe when your own phone rings. He's definitely on a roll with his series "24" and now this great movie.

Before I watched this film, I read several reviews on it. Most of them was negative. Than I checked out the director: Joel Schumacher. I found few mediocre films by him but at the same time I found few of my favorites: The Lost Boys (1987), Flatliners (1990), Falling Down (1993), The Client (1994). Based on this research I had no choice but to watch this film.
Main character Stu (Colin Farrell at his best performance) is one of this fake New Yorkers: some publicist, dressed in a fake coat of bogus fame and unexciting BIG contacts. He stops by at the phone booth to make his regular call to another women, the one which doesn't know that he is married... As soon as he hangs up? A phone call... A phone call for him... A phone call by a sniper. He has to play by the sniper's rules, or someone will die.
A thriller? An action? A psychological drama? I would say all of it at the same time... but much more. Did I want to know what will happen next? Yes! Did this film make me think? Yes!

From my point of view, this film mostly about art of listening. We often prejudge situations and people. But we forget to listen, to understand and hear the meaning of simple clues which might save our own life. And Forest Whitaker as Captain Ramey did this part very well.
On the other hand it gives us a slight idea how one second can change our life forever. And it does every single day.
The ending made me disappointed but I can't give this film less than A- grade. I've seen better, but not as many as you might think.
Reviewed by "russianwriter.net"

...Well, I guess that isn't saying too much. Phone Booth is a suspense genre movie that is actually suspenseful! In only 88 minutes, Phone Booth managed to get me to the edge of my seat wondering what would happen next. Colin Farrel really displayed his ability to act. His character may not have been the perfect guy, but he still managed to make the viewer feel for him. With this movie, Kiefer Sutherland also managed to regain the top position as the scariest actor in Hollywood...with his voice alone! Joel Schumacher's directing was great. One might think having the whole movie take place in mostly a phone booth would be boring, but Joel managed to make the movie compelling and visually stimulating. The other actors were also great; although if you're a fan of Katie Holmes, she's in about two minutes of it. I would defintely recommend anyone to see, especially if the person has been hesitant about seeing thrillers due to the blatantly bad ones that have already come out, because Phone Booth delivers.

Many found that Phone Booth was boring, badly scripted, and so on. I myself (agreeing with many critics) found it to be EXTREMELY tenseful and engrossing. Once that phone call started, my heart was pounding like a beast. Joel Schumacher, the director of many films (St. Elmo's Fire, Batman & Robin), definately had a hard task of making a movie all around one phone booth. But he suceeded in bringing tons of intense moments and so forth. Colin Ferrell does a fine job of bringing the greedy Stu Shepard to life. Forest Whitaker, the cop who is dealing with the situation, did a great job in the realism of his character. He was fun to watch. Kiefer Sutherland, the sniper on the phone, was also great even though you just hear his voice.

Phone Booth is the story of a man, Stu Shepard, who's a tricky PR guy and a cheating husband. When he stops in a Manhattan phone booth to call his second love (girl he's cheating with), he gets a call from an odd man. He then realizes, thanks to a red dot, that he's being pinned in the booth my a sniper. After a little inconvenice with hookers and their manager, the cops are all around, while Stu is stuck on the phone with a maniac.

Phone Booth was a great film and finely crafted. Rent this movie. I dont really think the DVD is worth the money (only a commentary). This was one tense film. Enjoy

I do remember the previews of this film and I did not think it looked that great. I could not imagine that a movie that centered on a single location such as a guy trapped in a phone booth could create so many interesting plot points but I was wrong! This movie plays out kind of like the psychology of a revenge type guy who is snooping around people's dirty laundry. When he finds this one guy Stuart he really gets him to the wall. Stuart answers a random ringing phone at a phone booth one afternoon and suddenly he is blackmailed by a sniper! Really good acting but you cannot go wrong because a main police officer in this movie is played by Forest Whitaker. A good thriller that is worth of multiple viewings because of its simplicity and exciting scenes.

"Phone Booth" is a tense, psychological drama with excellent performances by Colin Farrell, Forest Whitaker, and Kiefer Sutherland. If you're a Kiefer Sutherland fan, you don't see him until the very end of the movie, but you hear him throughout. The man can do amazing things with his voice. The premise is rather unusual, but the actors carry it off very well, and it does keep you on the edge of your seat.

this movie is so deep it's not even funny
it goes to show you what happens to a smart ass client that thinks he can talk sh** about people and get away with it
still the sniper guy is more crazy albeit
but the ending is great
the movie keeps you in suspense
I was so scared for the guy
I mean the minute he leaves the booth he gets shot
so here he is
he can't call the cops
he can't leave the booth
he has people pissed at him and some scared for him around him and he can't even leave
that is a truly terrifying situation
and on top of that
I really thought the guy that said "you'll regret that" at the beginning was the killer. but I was wrong. a shocking movie that sends shivers down your spine. that's what I felt. and that's what I'll feel every time I watch this in my dvd player. a timeless shocker movie that goes to show you that you can't always get away with what you do without punishment. glad I have this on dvd. you should give it a try

I bought this DVD because I missed it in the theatre and know that Colin Farrell can deliver amazing performances from his past films. I've watched the film six times already and I usually can't sit through most films without a "boredom break". I was bothered by shots that didn't mesh from different angles, but that's worth ignoring to watch the acting throughout.
I thought all the actors chosen were perfect for the roles. Forest Whitaker, John Enos(Leon) and the "hookers" were just killer! It had the feel of those movies I watched growing up when you believed that the movie was shot all in order from start to finish. Watching Colin Farrell's range of emotions and reactions has me in awe of his talent. This is one of those films that I'll watch as many times as I did "The Raiders of the Lost Ark". Harrison Ford's reactions were priceless. Colin Farrell delivers subtly and skillfully an Italian served a pizza and panic in a phonebooth. Worth watching if you enjoy watching actors do what they do best.

Tense, gritty, and sometimes powerful, Phone Booth is the best thriller of the year so far, and there is little evidence to suggest anything will top it.

Colin Farell once again showcases his immense talent as an actor is stunning versatility and incredible screen presence. And this is absolutely necessary, given that 80 minutes of the feature is centered on the drama playing out in a phone booth where Farell is pinned down by sniper who communicates with him through the phone. You'd never guess this guy was a native Irishman while he delivers he perfect, if a bit sterotyped, silver-tongue New Yorker accent.

It's a great return to what Schumacher is used to (the most radical of the mainstream) after the regrettable BAD COMPANY. It was postponed from its September release after the sniper shootings in DC, for obvious reasons.

I first heard of Phone Booth a year or two ago when Jim Carrey had dropped out of the project. I loved the premise: a man answers a ringing phone and steps inside the phone booth. He is told by the man on the phone that he is in the sights of a high powered rifle. The movie will be an hour and a half and will take place almost exclusively in the phone booth. It sounds very experimental and could be a horrible failure or be very interesting. The movie was delayed for a reason I don't remember, and then it was delayed this past fall because of the sniper attacks in Washington D.C. Finally, the movie gets released this April and I finally get a chance to see this movie that I've been hearing about for a long time now.

I've already mentioned the basic plot of the movie, so I'll go into a little bit more detail on the story. Colin Farrell plays a slick publicist who calls his girlfriend (but takes off his wedding ring while making the call) from a phone booth so that his wife does not find out about it. When he finishes with the call, the phone rings. He answers it and now finds himself in a situation where if he leaves the booth, a sniper threatens to kill him. The voice of the sniper is played by Keifer Sutherland, and this casting is perfect. I cannot imagine anyone bringing more menace to a phone conversation than Sutherland. While Farrell does a very good job in his role, it is Sutherland that makes the movie. Unfortunately, it is Sutherland's character that is without strong motivation. We must accept that he is a nut, because his reasoning is not very credible (maybe that is the point, but even so). Despite this flaw, I absolutely loved the movie.

There was quite a bit of tension and suspense all the way through the film, with enough brief scenes of humor (sometimes the humor came from the tension) to not make it unbearable. Simply put, this was a well played, well acted, and well made film. Not perfect, but it is a very good movie.