For a movie-going week with three new wide-release openings, this one isn't very appetizing. \A Man Apart"" appears to be lame and clich??-ridden even for Vin Diesel, while, as my brother put it, ""What a Girl Wants"" seems to be the touching story of a grown man who learns to fall in love with his own teenage daughter. So instead, I decided this week to run the third leg of this semester's Colin Farrell Triple Crown. While ""Phone Booth"" may have left me still wanting to see Farrell in something a little more substantive, it easily transcends the level of ""The Recruit"" and ""Daredevil,"" which were awful movies that strictly offered a taste of Farrell's talent.
""Phone Booth"" centers around Stu Shepard (Farrell), a sleazy New York publicist. After a normal day, which involves bribing a cop and manipulating a restaurateur, he stops at a phone booth to call his girlfriend (Katie Holmes), not to be confused with his wife (Radha Mitchell, ""Pitch Black""). When the phone rings, Shepard picks it up and is greeted by an ominous and unfamiliar voice, who knows every detail of Shepard's life and threatens to kill Shepard if he hangs up the phone. When a pimp hassles Shepard on behalf of prostitutes who want to use the phone, the mysterious caller shoots the pimp. Shepard faces murder accusations, dealing with police and civilians, including his wife and girlfriend, all while unable to leave the booth.
Though bruised by inevitable script problems, ""Phone Booth"" is saved and elevated by director Joel Schumacher (""Falling Down,"" ""Batman Forever"") and the cast. Schumacher's hyperactive camera work and sharp editing keep tension and suspense to a maximum. Schumacher prevents an hour of watching a man in a phone booth from becoming boring. And he doesn't let the movie drag, cutting it off at a slender 80 minutes.
The cast delivers, thanks to Farrell's lead. Again, Farrell offers a sterling performance of a character unworthy of his talent. Certain elements of his dialogue and character progression are awkward or overwritten, but Farrell is so effortless in his presence and emotive power in front of the camera that he can instantly lend depth, humor and humanity to even a poorly delineated character.
Farrell is paired with other strong performances. The voiceover (Kiefer Sutherland) for the caller is stunning. Both chilling and funny, the call keeps the audience interested and makes Farrell's fear and soul-searching believable. Forest Whitaker also serves as a strong companion for Farrell as the ranking police officer. Whitaker was also stuck with a thin character, but he breathes life into the role with dumpy charisma.
The movie's flaws are still noticeable. I don't know when Joel Schumacher was last in Manhattan, but it must have been the late '70s. The display of street hustlers and unabashedly on-duty prostitutes in Times Square is more familiar to Grand Theft Auto fans than to the actual city. Perhaps this is meant to be New York in a parallel universe, which would explain Schumacher's bizarre decision to begin and end the movie with shots of outer space.
And can Hollywood cool it with the trick endings? Everyone loves ""The Usual Suspects,"" but not every movie needs a trick ending. ""Phone Booth"" has several and all of them are unnecessary. And the movie's lame morality plays really drag it down.
Still, ""Phone Booth"" turns out well in several ways. It's a suspense thriller that actually has thrilling suspense. It's a Colin Farrell vehicle that isn't an embarrassment to his talent. It's a $10 million-budget movie that works with skilled acting instead of explosions. ""Phone Booth"" isn't highbrow award fodder, but it's an entertaining and well-executed popcorn movie, which is a respectable label.
