neumu [ cinematronic ]




	Cellular
	David Ellis Kim Basinger, Chris Evans, Jason Statham, William H. Macy, Jessica Biel, Noah Emmerich 2004		Moments in the helter-skelter action film "Cellular" will make a skeptical viewer scratch the ol' cranium. But does that really matter, when "Cellular" is such a pleasurable exercise in pop cinema? The script is a mix of ingenious and silly, and while aspects of the story should be kept under wraps to achieve the proper tension, this much can be said: Ruthlessly efficient men kidnap a Los Angeles science teacher named Jessica (Kim Basinger), lock her in an attic and threaten to kill her and her son if she doesn't reveal her husband's whereabouts. Left alone by her captors, she jerry-rigs a broken telephone. Although she can only make one random call, Jessica reaches the cell phone of Ryan (Chris Evans), a laid-back guy spending the day on the Santa Monica Pier and trying to win back his ex-girlfriend (Jessica Biel). Ryan wants to ignore the disembodied voice on his cell, only there's something about the urgency and desperation in Jessica's tone as she pleads for help that keeps him on the line. The idea that Jessica's one chance for rescue is an ongoing cellular connection (always shaky in the L.A. area) is inspired, and keeps the anxiety building. Also figuring into the escapade is a weary cop (William H. Macy) about to retire. No matter how wild things get, the various elements in "Cellular" somehow hang together. With Jason Statham as the head kidnapper.