neumu [ cinematronic ]




	Phone Booth
	Joel Schumacher Colin Farrell, Kiefer Sutherland, Forest Whitaker, Katie Holmes, Radha Mitchell 2002		Although he's made some questionable, even ridiculous, films in the past ("Batman and Robin," anyone?), director Joel Schumacher can bang out an engrossing, professionally-mounted pop flick when the stars are aligned. The dynamic stars of "Phone Booth" — leading man Colin Farrell, anti-hero Kiefer Sutherland and character actor Forest Whitaker — make it one of Schumacher's better efforts. There's also a clever premise at work. In broad daylight, on a busy New York street, an unsuspecting guy answers a call in a phone booth and is trapped there by the unseen sniper whose voice is on the other end of the line. Farrell is callous, self-aggrandizing PR man Stu, the target in the booth. He's on camera most of the time, but "Phone Booth" isn't a solo act. Sutherland, as Stu's invisible tormentor, provides a voice menacing enough to solidify the threat. Whitaker comes into play as a cop with questionable expertise in hostage situations; Katie Holmes and Radha Mitchell are significant women in Stu's life. The script has to make up for leaps in logic with sharp dialogue and abrupt turns, but "Phone Booth" has a frantic, urban energy that keeps it buzzing along.