Phone Booth – Classic Film Review 655

Colin Farrell stars as slick and cocky New York PR guy Stu Shepard , who is trapped in a phone booth by a sniper (Kiefer Sutherland), threatening – on the phone – to shoot him unless he confesses all his sins. If he hangs up, he’ll be killed. Nice police captain Ramey (Forest Whitaker) arrives with a posse of cops, and so do Farrell’s upset wife Kelly (Radha Mitchell) and girlfriend Pamela (Katie Holmes).

Farrell, hunk-of-the-moment back in 2002, gives a tour-de-force in this top suspense ride. It’s mighty clever of director Joel Schumacher to create such a nailbiting experience all on a single location. It works a treat, and its 81-minute running time leaves you begging for another half an hour. Ring-a-ding-ding!

The film was shot (unusually) in sequence in 12 days in LA, after abandoning the original Manhattan location it’s actually set in due to an extreme November chill in 2000. Writer Larry Cohen’s been hatching this story way back to the 60s when he successfully interested Alfred Hitchcock in the concept but alas it was eventually abandoned.

The release was delayed because of real-life snipers in Maryland and Washington DC. Ron Eldard filmed the role of the sniper, but his part was re-shot with Sutherland.

(C) Derek Winnert 2014 Classic Film Review 655 derekwinnert.com