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Cellular
2004
A random wrong number on his cell phone sends a young man into a high-stakes race against time to save a woman's life. With no knowledge of Jessica Martin other than her hushed, panicked voice on the other end of hte tenuous cell phone connection, Ryan is quickly thrown into a world of deception and murder on his frantic .. Read more
| Starring | Kim Basinger, Chris Evans, Eric Christian Olsen, Jason Statham |
|---|---|
| Director | David R Ellis |
| Genres | Thriller |
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Critics' reviews (6)
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As his horror sequel Final Destination 2 demonstrated, director David R Ellis knows how to do suspense. So it's surprising that this blackly comic action thriller is never quite as tense as it should be. The opening scenes are gripping, with science teacher and mother Kim Basinger the victim of a brutal kidnap, but her chief abductor Jason Statham is too weak a villain for us to ever believe she's in real jeopardy. Without this essential element, subsequent events are hard to swallow, as young slacker Chris Evans races to save Basinger after she randomly calls his mobile using the remains of a shattered phone. Yet, while story-writer Larry Cohen put the same “stay on the line” concept to better use in Phone Booth, here there's a plethora of car chases and shoot-outs to add to the mix. Consequently, even as the film becomes increasingly preposterous, there's enough to enjoy, not least solid turns from Basinger, Evans and the ever-reliable William H Macy.
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Given that many screen victims could have been saved by handy recourse to a mobile phone, its interesting to see a... read more on Time Out
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Genuinely brilliant... an absolute must.
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Most helpful members' reviews (3)
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76 out of 87 people found this review helpful
Phonetastic!
Kim Basinger plays a mother who gets kidnapped by the ever British and always slightly below par actor that is Jason Statham, and his band of roguish ruffians. Somehow able to piece together a broken phone (some things we should just accept), she manages to make one random phone call, and lucky for her gets a hapless teenager (played by Chris Evans, no not the ginger British one, the American teen movie one) who she convinces into helping her.
I had far more fun with Cellular than I ever expected to. It throws you right into the thick of it and doesn?t really let up until the final act. There?s suspense, drama and most surprisingly humour to boot. As well as being impressively clever in the heat of the moment, the antics as our unlikely teen hero bring plenty of laughs, which for me made this shine above the rest of the kidnap/chase movies we have all saw before. Don?t get me wrong, it wasn?t a comedy, the tension and the drama were all still there, I?ve never been on the edge of my seat before over a mobile phone losing its charge, or the threat of having to drive through a tunnel.
It doesn?t take a glam premiere, 30 storey advertising or a10 Disc Special Edition DVD box set, with glossy 8? x 10? photos and porcelain bookends to make a good film. Cellular is an extremely fun ride, that shouldn?t be taken too seriously, and sometimes that?s all that matters. I urge everyone to see it, at least once. -
55 out of 72 people found this review helpful
More Holes Than A Sieve.......
Kim Basingers character rebuilds a smashed phone and then spends the next 2 hours on it, without the need for any charging - and that is the crux of the film. Complete fantasy, but it is a good yarn and has some easy on the eye casting to save it. Pure hollywood, but it is all action and is worth a rental, just for the sheer hell of it. Not one that you will remember much after the following day, but it is better than several others that I have recently reviewed.
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20 out of 22 people found this review helpful
Good Fun
This is a great Saturday night popcorn movie. Chris Evans (no not that one) is on top form, and he is one for the future, his casting as the human torch in the upcoming fantastic four movie is excellent.
Jason Statham is as ever on good form, although I wish they would let him keep his British accent. There are some good turns and some obvious events. And the ending is a little cheesy, but this is decent.
Kim Basinger is the only let down for me, her acting in this was more Hollyoaks then Hollywood, but hey only a minor drawback in what is a very enjoyable movie. -
Most recent members' reviews (2)
View all -
1 out of 1 person found this review helpful
Cellular
I enjoyed this movie more than I expected. Kim Basinger looks as stunning as ever and the acting by all parties was excellent.
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6 out of 7 people found this review helpful
Original and gripping
I wasn't expecting too much from this film to be honest so I was pleasantly suprised. I found the idea of the film quite original and pace of it kept you gripped ! It was one of the best performances by Kim Basinger in a long while. I would recommend to all !
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76 out of 87 people found this review helpful
Phonetastic!
Kim Basinger plays a mother who gets kidnapped by the ever British and always slightly below par actor that is Jason Statham, and his band of roguish ruffians. Somehow able to piece together a broken phone (some things we should just accept), she manages to make one random phone call, and lucky for her gets a hapless teenager (played by Chris Evans, no not the ginger British one, the American teen movie one) who she convinces into helping her.
I had far more fun with Cellular than I ever expected to. It throws you right into the thick of it and doesn?t really let up until the final act. There?s suspense, drama and most surprisingly humour to boot. As well as being impressively clever in the heat of the moment, the antics as our unlikely teen hero bring plenty of laughs, which for me made this shine above the rest of the kidnap/chase movies we have all saw before. Don?t get me wrong, it wasn?t a comedy, the tension and the drama were all still there, I?ve never been on the edge of my seat before over a mobile phone losing its charge, or the threat of having to drive through a tunnel.
It doesn?t take a glam premiere, 30 storey advertising or a10 Disc Special Edition DVD box set, with glossy 8? x 10? photos and porcelain bookends to make a good film. Cellular is an extremely fun ride, that shouldn?t be taken too seriously, and sometimes that?s all that matters. I urge everyone to see it, at least once. -
55 out of 72 people found this review helpful
More Holes Than A Sieve.......
Kim Basingers character rebuilds a smashed phone and then spends the next 2 hours on it, without the need for any charging - and that is the crux of the film. Complete fantasy, but it is a good yarn and has some easy on the eye casting to save it. Pure hollywood, but it is all action and is worth a rental, just for the sheer hell of it. Not one that you will remember much after the following day, but it is better than several others that I have recently reviewed.
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20 out of 22 people found this review helpful
Good Fun
This is a great Saturday night popcorn movie. Chris Evans (no not that one) is on top form, and he is one for the future, his casting as the human torch in the upcoming fantastic four movie is excellent.
Jason Statham is as ever on good form, although I wish they would let him keep his British accent. There are some good turns and some obvious events. And the ending is a little cheesy, but this is decent.
Kim Basinger is the only let down for me, her acting in this was more Hollyoaks then Hollywood, but hey only a minor drawback in what is a very enjoyable movie. -
17 out of 21 people found this review helpful
Great movie
I thought this would be another run of the mill Hollywood thriller, I was wrong! Its really good, good story good action and plenty of tension.
Well worth a look. -
9 out of 11 people found this review helpful
More 'phone phreaks
From the makers of 'Phonebooth' - this time it's Kim Basinger as a damsel in distress, who manages to cobble together a broken 'phone. Found myself sitting on the edge of the seat rooting for the good guys. Especially liked the scene in the mobile 'phone shop
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9 out of 12 people found this review helpful
Nokia sponsored film?
This feels like a full length advertisement produced by Nokia to promote their mobile phones. Though the plot sounds interesting the execution in terms of script and pictures is very poor.
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8 out of 11 people found this review helpful
Like... duh! Y'know... duh... etc.
Very dumb film... a Nokia advert that breaks every advertising code of conduct possible... which is why I felt compelled to write this review. The Nokia phone appears about 30 times in the film, including the cringeworthy end-credit sequence.
The phone has a video capture feature that gives the lucky owner the capability to shoot an episode of Lovejoy... the audio capture is so clear and the image so crisp - incorporating handy full camera-to-phone video transfer abilities. The hero spends a considerable chunk of the film telling us how amazing the phone is, and I was surprised when the Carphone Warehouse web address DIDN'T appear in the end credits. Thankfully, the effects are so hokey - the phone screen looks so fake, and the dialogue is so stilted that no-one is fooled.
It does make you wonder though, with product placement now so blatant in films such as this, how many times ARE we fooled by a director not quite as cack-handed as this one. Perhaps the six tubs of banana Nesquick inexplicably in my kitchen cupboard are due to subliminal messages in Miss Congeniality 2.
Somewhere within this rubbish 90 minute Nokia advert and the dodgy acting is a decent action thriller trying to get out. I just wonder if it stood a chance against the power of the mighty Nokia marketing mafia. -
11 out of 20 people found this review helpful
Edge of Your Seat
A great movie.
Thriller, drama and humour the whole way through! The suspence kept me on the edge of my seat the whole way through.
A movie the Orange company would be proud to have, hehe.
Definately one to watch! Recommended! -
6 out of 7 people found this review helpful
Original and gripping
I wasn't expecting too much from this film to be honest so I was pleasantly suprised. I found the idea of the film quite original and pace of it kept you gripped ! It was one of the best performances by Kim Basinger in a long while. I would recommend to all !
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6 out of 9 people found this review helpful
don't answer the phone ...
... and don't rent the movie either ... beyond terrible
Critics' reviews (6)
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As his horror sequel Final Destination 2 demonstrated, director David R Ellis knows how to do suspense. So it's surprising that this blackly comic action thriller is never quite as tense as it should be. The opening scenes are gripping, with science teacher and mother Kim Basinger the victim of a brutal kidnap, but her chief abductor Jason Statham is too weak a villain for us to ever believe she's in real jeopardy. Without this essential element, subsequent events are hard to swallow, as young slacker Chris Evans races to save Basinger after she randomly calls his mobile using the remains of a shattered phone. Yet, while story-writer Larry Cohen put the same “stay on the line” concept to better use in Phone Booth, here there's a plethora of car chases and shoot-outs to add to the mix. Consequently, even as the film becomes increasingly preposterous, there's enough to enjoy, not least solid turns from Basinger, Evans and the ever-reliable William H Macy.
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Given that many screen victims could have been saved by handy recourse to a mobile phone, its interesting to see a... read more on Time Out
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Genuinely brilliant... an absolute must.
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A superior thriller
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A gripping thriller
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Top notch
Buy from the LOVEFiLM shop
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Cellular
A random wrong number on his cell phone sends a young man into a high-stakes race against time to save a woman's life.
With no knowledge of Jessica Martin other than her hushed, panicked voice on the other end of hte tenuous cell phone connection, Ryan is quickly thrown into a world of ...
-
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