Phone Booth (2003) DVD Reviews

Starring	Colin Farrell, Kiefer Sutherland, Forest Whitaker, Radha Mitchell
Director	Joel Schumacher
Genres	Thriller

Critics' reviews (6) of Phone Booth
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Reuniting the Tigerland team of director Joel Schumacher and star Colin Farrell, this lean, innovative thriller has a compelling premise, but is too gimmicky to maintain its grip until the end. Farrell plays an arrogant publicist who is trapped in a New York phone booth by an unseen sniper, apparently as retribution for attempting to start an affair with a client (Katie Holmes). The psychological warfare waged on Farrell by “The Caller” — voiced with malevolence by Kiefer Sutherland — carries a suspenseful charge, which is aided by Schumacher's use of techniques such as real-time and split screen that can be seen in Sutherland's own TV series 24. Although the two central performances are credible, Larry Cohen's script eventually resorts to melodrama, with the arrival of amiable cop Forest Whitaker and the media dissipating much of the tension. However, despite a less than satisfying final act, this still pushes plenty of the right buttons.
- Radio Times
- Posted 29 Jan 2006
"...Director Joel Schumacher, with the help of the gifted cinematographer Matthew Libatique makes a tight, tense job of it....Farrell is a dynamo..."
- Rolling Stone
- Posted 11 Mar 2005
"...Schumacher keeps his camera in a state of high agitation, bumping and swirling around the spectacle of Farrell's motor-mouth frenzy..."
- Entertainment Weekly
- Posted 11 Mar 2005
Most helpful members' reviews (3) of Phone Booth
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24 out of 38 people found this review helpful

Good execution doesn't rescue Phone Booth from narrow groove

A one-concept movie, executed pretty well. Farrell plays the smug-git-turns-pants-wetter PR professional, and does it with style. Kiefer Sutherland's presence is peripheral but high impact. Neither woman is memorable.

Phone Booth manages various plot twists & turns, and attempts a classic sting at the end, but doesn't quite manage it. If you're curious, rent it. If you're looking for a real classic with an unforgettable ending, go for Sixth Sense or Fight Club instead.
- - A customer from Thames
  - Posted 09 Sep 2003 01:18
12 out of 16 people found this review helpful

Blink and you'll miss it

A highly claustrophobic film that is set mainly around a phone box on one New York street, which has more going on in the short length of time that it's on than a whole series of '24' (well, maybe not but exaggeration seemed appropriate here). This is one movie that you'll think is either brilliant or a total waste of time. It was actually made before 'Tigerland' (which was the second collaboration between the almost unknown Farrell and long time direct Schumacher) but because of the sniper attacks going on in America at the time the release date was put back. And worth the wait it is. On paper it shouldn't work, the budget was miniscule by Hollywood standards but it's a real sleeping blockbuster of a movie and keeps you guessing til the end. My only criticism is the ending, which without giving too much away leaves the film open.
- - Michelle from Shepperton
  - Posted 11 Dec 2003 16:41
9 out of 10 people found this review helpful

Hold on tight

A highly claustrophobic film that is set around a phone box mainly on one New York street which has more going on in the short length of time that it's on than a whole series of "24" (well, maybe not but exagerration seemed appropriate here). This is one movie that you'll think is either brilliant or a total waste of time. It was actually made before "Tigerland" (which was the second collaboration between the almost unknown Farrell and long time direct Schumacher) but because of the sniper attacks going on in America at the time the release date was put back. And worth the wait it is. On paper it shouldn't work, the budget was miniscule by Hollywood standards but it's a real sleeping blockbuster of a movie and keeps you guessing til the end. My only critiscism is the ending, which without giving too much away leaves the film open.
- - Shelbert from Middx
  - Posted 14 Nov 2003 14:26
Most recent members' reviews (2) of Phone Booth
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12 out of 16 people found this review helpful

Blink and you'll miss it

A highly claustrophobic film that is set mainly around a phone box on one New York street, which has more going on in the short length of time that it's on than a whole series of '24' (well, maybe not but exaggeration seemed appropriate here). This is one movie that you'll think is either brilliant or a total waste of time. It was actually made before 'Tigerland' (which was the second collaboration between the almost unknown Farrell and long time direct Schumacher) but because of the sniper attacks going on in America at the time the release date was put back. And worth the wait it is. On paper it shouldn't work, the budget was miniscule by Hollywood standards but it's a real sleeping blockbuster of a movie and keeps you guessing til the end. My only criticism is the ending, which without giving too much away leaves the film open.
- - Michelle from Shepperton
  - Posted 11 Dec 2003 16:41
1 out of 1 person found this review helpful

Poor, poor film

Well, that is 75 minutes I’m never going to get back!

Started off alright, and then went down hill from there. The plot was paper thin, the characters pretty poor, and most of the acting was diabolical.

You could see the end coming a mile off, and the whole film just seemed to be setting itself up for a sequel.

The whole film was just over an hour and a quarter, probably due to the fact they had got every cliché out they could.

I would not recommend this film to anyone, and I wait in anticipation for the sequel.
- - Gruff from West Yorkshire
  - Posted 01 Mar 2004 08:47

24 out of 38 people found this review helpful

Good execution doesn't rescue Phone Booth from narrow groove

A one-concept movie, executed pretty well. Farrell plays the smug-git-turns-pants-wetter PR professional, and does it with style. Kiefer Sutherland's presence is peripheral but high impact. Neither woman is memorable.

Phone Booth manages various plot twists & turns, and attempts a classic sting at the end, but doesn't quite manage it. If you're curious, rent it. If you're looking for a real classic with an unforgettable ending, go for Sixth Sense or Fight Club instead.
- - A customer from Thames
  - Posted 09 Sep 2003 01:18
12 out of 16 people found this review helpful

Blink and you'll miss it

A highly claustrophobic film that is set mainly around a phone box on one New York street, which has more going on in the short length of time that it's on than a whole series of '24' (well, maybe not but exaggeration seemed appropriate here). This is one movie that you'll think is either brilliant or a total waste of time. It was actually made before 'Tigerland' (which was the second collaboration between the almost unknown Farrell and long time direct Schumacher) but because of the sniper attacks going on in America at the time the release date was put back. And worth the wait it is. On paper it shouldn't work, the budget was miniscule by Hollywood standards but it's a real sleeping blockbuster of a movie and keeps you guessing til the end. My only criticism is the ending, which without giving too much away leaves the film open.
- - Michelle from Shepperton
  - Posted 11 Dec 2003 16:41
9 out of 10 people found this review helpful

Hold on tight

A highly claustrophobic film that is set around a phone box mainly on one New York street which has more going on in the short length of time that it's on than a whole series of "24" (well, maybe not but exagerration seemed appropriate here). This is one movie that you'll think is either brilliant or a total waste of time. It was actually made before "Tigerland" (which was the second collaboration between the almost unknown Farrell and long time direct Schumacher) but because of the sniper attacks going on in America at the time the release date was put back. And worth the wait it is. On paper it shouldn't work, the budget was miniscule by Hollywood standards but it's a real sleeping blockbuster of a movie and keeps you guessing til the end. My only critiscism is the ending, which without giving too much away leaves the film open.
- - Shelbert from Middx
  - Posted 14 Nov 2003 14:26
7 out of 8 people found this review helpful

Phone Booth

Good Movie. Better than I expected; so if you're wavering, give it a go. Colin Farrel is very good as a man falling apart, and Keifer Sutherland sounds positively demonic as the man on the phone.
- - deejaysea from Guisborough
  - Posted 19 Oct 2003 19:44
7 out of 8 people found this review helpful

Compelling

I was amazed that I enjoyed this film so much. I was told it was good but I was still surprised. The whole film is centered around one phone booth but it is totally compelling and you find yourself not wanting to rip yourself away. I would recommend to anyone.
- - christmasnut from Oxon
  - Posted 09 Dec 2003 10:46
6 out of 7 people found this review helpful

definitely worth seeing

Excellent. The pace is just right, with just the right amount of guessing about who the guy with the gun is, where he is and what his next move is to be.

Without giving too much of the plot away, a man goes into a phone booth, picks up the receiver and learns that a sniper has a gun trained on him. He can't put the phone down....and the twists and turns of what follows are what makes the movie so gripping.

A must see.
- - ronc from Southport
  - Posted 04 Nov 2004 18:52
6 out of 7 people found this review helpful

What a performance!

Fantastic! What a great film. Apart from a couple of minutes of ear ache (screeching NY hookers going on and on) this film just sucks you in and doesn't let you go.

I won't bore you by telling you what it's about as you probably already know, but what I will tell you is that Farrel is fantastic in the role and really carries the film on his own ... I was dissappointed with Forrest Whittaker, though - he seemed a bit hammy to me.

Anyway, this is a top film. Rent it now, you know you want to.
- - Spook from Rhondda Cynon Taff
  - Posted 28 Oct 2003 10:40
6 out of 8 people found this review helpful

I've Got YOUR Number!

For all his 'I've been to the Oliver Reed Academy Of Celebrity Behaviour' off-screen excesses, one cannot deny that Colin Farrell is one hugely compelling performer. Regardless of the fact that the viewer isn't given much reason to empathise with Farrell's manipulative New York publicist character, you just can't help caring about how he fares in the end. Not quite a 'must-see' movie, but a very slick and fast-paced production nonetheless.
- - mywifenow from Surbiton
  - Posted 22 Feb 2004 19:39
6 out of 8 people found this review helpful

filthy language

We turned it off after only a few minutes due to the incessant very bad language,It is a great pity that the gradings of these films are not more explicit regarding expletives of this vile degree.whoever claims that this is life reality has been very much misinformed
- - A customer from Cannock Staffs
  - Posted 23 Jan 2005 09:04
5 out of 6 people found this review helpful

Rollercoaster Ride

What a film! It's one of those movies that keeps you right on the edge from the very beginning, so much so that I dont think I moved position for the fist half an hour as I was so mesmorised and taken in by what I was watching.

From the trailers I thought there might not any point in watching the actual movie as most of the story-line is given away before even sitting down to watch, but the film is so well put together, with superb acting from Farrell, Sutherland and Holmes and the intrigue that psychopatic deranged killers always bring to the screen that I am so glad I did. 5 stars.
- - Thomas Woods from London
  - Posted 29 Apr 2004 18:46

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Critics' reviews (6)
Reuniting the Tigerland team of director Joel Schumacher and star Colin Farrell, this lean, innovative thriller has a compelling premise, but is too gimmicky to maintain its grip until the end. Farrell plays an arrogant publicist who is trapped in a New York phone booth by an unseen sniper, apparently as retribution for attempting to start an affair with a client (Katie Holmes). The psychological warfare waged on Farrell by “The Caller” — voiced with malevolence by Kiefer Sutherland — carries a suspenseful charge, which is aided by Schumacher's use of techniques such as real-time and split screen that can be seen in Sutherland's own TV series 24. Although the two central performances are credible, Larry Cohen's script eventually resorts to melodrama, with the arrival of amiable cop Forest Whitaker and the media dissipating much of the tension. However, despite a less than satisfying final act, this still pushes plenty of the right buttons.
- Radio Times
- Posted 29 Jan 2006
"...Director Joel Schumacher, with the help of the gifted cinematographer Matthew Libatique makes a tight, tense job of it....Farrell is a dynamo..."
- Rolling Stone
- Posted 11 Mar 2005
"...Schumacher keeps his camera in a state of high agitation, bumping and swirling around the spectacle of Farrell's motor-mouth frenzy..."
- Entertainment Weekly
- Posted 11 Mar 2005
As a publicist, Stu Shepard (Farrell) is one of those dubious characters who negotiate media access on behalf of... read more on Time Out
- Time Out
- Posted 04 Nov 2008
"...[Farrell] makes lowlife media pimp Stu Shepard his own....A high velocity thriller..."
- Total Film
- Posted 11 Mar 2005
A B feature in all but name: short, claustrophobic and moderately tense.
- Halliwell's Film Guide
- Posted 02 Mar 2006