Phone Booth (2003)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Dan S

  
  An entertaining fast-paced thriller concerning a slimy publicist (Colin Farrell) who gets caught in a phone booth and is forced to stay on the line with a crazed voice on the other end of the line (Kiefer Sutherland) who has threatened to kill his loved ones if he does not do exactly… More
  An entertaining fast-paced thriller concerning a slimy publicist (Colin Farrell) who gets caught in a phone booth and is forced to stay on the line with a crazed voice on the other end of the line (Kiefer Sutherland) who has threatened to kill his loved ones if he does not do exactly what he says. Without a convincing performance from its star, this movie would fall on its face. Luckily, Colin Farrell is a tremendous actor, and his powerful, gripping turn gives this movie a reason to exist. Sutherland's voice is downright terrifying, and you know he means business even if you never see him. Director Joel Schumacher paces this film to perfection, while also capturing a claustrophobic setting that perfectly complements the crowded environment he is trying to portray in New York City. The motive of the villain is not given the attention it deserves, one of the films drawbacks, but this remains a mostly adrenaline rush of a movie which, like the villain, keeps your attention throughout.

• Josh M

  
  Phone Booth is an wonderfully absurd and enertaining thiller that makes no sense, but is unrelentingly funny and packed with weird twist and turns. Joel Shumacher is much stronger when he's absurd and random, and he is here. Coin Farrell is a hapless jerk, who's held… More
  Phone Booth is an wonderfully absurd and enertaining thiller that makes no sense, but is unrelentingly funny and packed with weird twist and turns. Joel Shumacher is much stronger when he's absurd and random, and he is here. Coin Farrell is a hapless jerk, who's held hostage in a phone booth by a sniper (Keifer Sutherland's voice). That's all the plot you need to know. Watch it for the terrific Colin Farrell as a brash and amoral PR hustler, Forrest Wittacker as a warm and not as wise as he thinks cop, and Keifer Sutherland as a Jack Bauer gone wrong. He's all voice over the phone until... well I won't ruin it. Despite Phone Booth's minor B film vibe and low aspirations, it's a textbook on how to make a caffeine infused thriller with one static location - a phone booth. Once you insert the DVD in your player, you'll probably watch the whole thing, just to find out what happens, even if you think it stank. Which it sort of does, but turn your brain off and enjoy.

• Eric A

  
  Very thrilling and suspenseful. Pretty short film, so it gets right into the action from the get go.

• BG Movie Reviews 2

  
  Similarly to my review of Buried, this film is about a man in a confined space; but rather than being in a box, he is in a phone booth. Stuart Shepard (Colin Farrell) is a PR rep, who was making a normal phone call on a phone booth. But just as he is about to leave the booth he… More
  Similarly to my review of Buried, this film is about a man in a confined space; but rather than being in a box, he is in a phone booth. Stuart Shepard (Colin Farrell) is a PR rep, who was making a normal phone call on a phone booth. But just as he is about to leave the booth he hears the phone ring, picks it up, and soon realises that if he hangs up, he will die; because there is a man hidden in an unknown place with a sniper, aiming at Shepard, forcing him to do everything that he wants him to, or else he gets shot. This idea of being trapped not only physically, but mentally, and being forced to say things that would offend others or harm others to try and save his own life. What happens in the film is not only tense and interesting, but has a very sinister man there to back it all up and scare anyone away from a phone booth. Sort of! With very few sets, an awful lot of acting and action manages to occur during the duration of the film, and with such an interesting, slightly remeniscent of Saw (NOT the ending of Saw) ending, this film is one of my favourites and will be for years to come.

• Daniel J D

  
  If Farell did more movoies like this, he wouldn't suck.

• Jeff "

  
  After the dreadful Batman & Robin, I had serious doubts that Joel Schumacher could pull together and craft a film that was good. Well to his credit, he did with Phone Booth. Schumacher is the type of director that can make a good film followed by a few bad ones, and then make a… More
  After the dreadful Batman & Robin, I had serious doubts that Joel Schumacher could pull together and craft a film that was good. Well to his credit, he did with Phone Booth. Schumacher is the type of director that can make a good film followed by a few bad ones, and then make a good film. For me, Phone Booth is his best film along with The Lost Boys and his first Batman effort, Batman Forever, which I thought wasn't too bad, infact it was good but not great. But then came Batman & Robin, a travesty of a film. Luckily Schumacher has redeemed himself slightly with Phone Booth. The concept of this film is brilliant. Phone Booth is proof that such a simple idea can make a very good film. A selfish man is held hostage in a phone booth. That basically sums up the story. The Sniper makes him divulge personal, embarrassing matters that Stu (played by Colin Farrell) does not want people to know. The film is brilliantly paced and is always tense. Joel Schumacher does a good job at directing, considering his checkered filmography. Kiefer Sutherland plays the role of the sniper, and aside from him talking during the whole film, we see him only briefly near the end. Phone Booth is a surprising thriller from Joel Schumacher and this is on the very short list of his best films. A tense ride from start to finish.

• Sophie B

  
  Katie Holmes' voice is irritating and unnatural. The first half was terrible, boring, obvious and just unwatchable and it did get better towards the end. I loved the callers voice. Stuart deserved that but it was obvious that he'd stay alive. It just didn't grasp me. I… More
  Katie Holmes' voice is irritating and unnatural. The first half was terrible, boring, obvious and just unwatchable and it did get better towards the end. I loved the callers voice. Stuart deserved that but it was obvious that he'd stay alive. It just didn't grasp me. I didn't care about any of the characters.

• Matt G

  
  So simple yet so suspenseful! I loved it! Grade: B+

• ♥˩ƳИИ &

  
  Cast: Colin Farrell, Kiefer Sutherland, Forest Whitaker, Katie Holmes, Radha Mitchell, Richard T. Jones, Paula Jai Parker, Arian Waring Ash, Tia Texada Director: Joel Schumacher Summary: In this intense drama, which takes place in and around a single phone booth in New York… More
  Cast: Colin Farrell, Kiefer Sutherland, Forest Whitaker, Katie Holmes, Radha Mitchell, Richard T. Jones, Paula Jai Parker, Arian Waring Ash, Tia Texada Director: Joel Schumacher Summary: In this intense drama, which takes place in and around a single phone booth in New York City, slick New York publicist Stuart Shepard (Colin Farrell) picks up a ringing receiver in a phone booth and is told that if he hangs up, he'll be killed. Turns out Shepherd is being watched by a rooftop killer with a sniper rifle -- and the little red light from an infrared rifle sight is proof that the caller isn't kidding. My Thoughts: "Not a bad suspense thriller considering the majority of the film takes place with Colin Farrell in a phone booth. The exchange between Farrell and Sutherland is intense. You never knew which way it would go or how it would end. Clever film."

• Candy R

  
  Great thriller. Great cast. Movie about a guy who is held hostage in a phonebooth by a sniper who knows all about him and wants him to confess his sins to the world.

• Mark W

  
  I'm not a massive fan of Joel Schumacher. He's a very frustrating director, who only occasionally delivers the goods. His limited talents are better served when working with a low budget and you don't get much lower than practically a whole film set inside a phone box.… More
  I'm not a massive fan of Joel Schumacher. He's a very frustrating director, who only occasionally delivers the goods. His limited talents are better served when working with a low budget and you don't get much lower than practically a whole film set inside a phone box. It works though, thanks to a brilliant performance from Colin Farrell. Stu Shepard (Farrell) is an arrogant, swindling, talent agent who talks the talk and walks the walk. At least, that's what he thinks. Unbeknownst to him, is that somebody, somewhere (voiced by Keifer Sutherland) has been following his movements each day and decides to make him pay for his lies and deceit by holding him hostage in a telephone booth and systematically revealing to him, everything he knows and intends to expose. Filmed in real time and never straying from the confines of the claustrophic phone box (with the exception of a few split-screen moments), Schumacher manages to crank up the tension with ease. It's a simple idea but highly effective, which is in part to an absolutely fantastic Colin Farrell, channeling a tense DeNiro-like performance, full of amorality and disregard to eventual sensitivity and redemption. It's a hard task for Farrell, considering he's never off screen but he nails it and delivers one of his finest screen moments. There is also fine support in Forest Whitaker as the detective on the scene and Keifer Sutherland's creepy monotone voice is a character in itself. This film has it's critics but there's no denying the grip it has on you and the fine acting delivered from a very basic premise.

• KJ P

  
  Phonebooth starts off as something that you feel you have seen before, but when it comes down to it, you haven't really seen anything quite like the way it all plays out. It becomes really frustrating and you begin to feel what Colin Farrell's character is feeling throughout… More
  Phonebooth starts off as something that you feel you have seen before, but when it comes down to it, you haven't really seen anything quite like the way it all plays out. It becomes really frustrating and you begin to feel what Colin Farrell's character is feeling throughout the film. This was an extremely solid film with a breathtaking performance by Colin Farrell! The final showdown will have your gut wrenched for hours!

• Conner R

  
  I actually thought this was a great movie that was pretty brave at telling a suspense/thriller in one set. Joel Schumacher either fails miserably or knows what he's doing, this time he definitely did. The performance from Colin Farrell makes you not care that you aren't… More
  I actually thought this was a great movie that was pretty brave at telling a suspense/thriller in one set. Joel Schumacher either fails miserably or knows what he's doing, this time he definitely did. The performance from Colin Farrell makes you not care that you aren't being visually stunned every five seconds and the plot is so interesting that you're hanging on the edge of your seat. It's surprisingly not gimmicky, every time I've seen the movie since I saw it in the theater it has been just as good.

• Lorenzo v

  
  "<i>A ringing phone has to be answered."</i> Stuart Shepard finds himself trapped in a phone booth, pinned down by an extortionist's sniper rifle. <center><font size=+2 face="Century… More
  "<i>A ringing phone has to be answered."</i> Stuart Shepard finds himself trapped in a phone booth, pinned down by an extortionist's sniper rifle. <center><font size=+2 face="Century Schoolbook"><b><u>REVIEW</u></b></font></center> Farrell gives it his all as a slick entertainment public relations agent who winds up the pawn of a demented serial killer (an oily and affective voice over by Sutherland) when he's subjected to being his next victim while being confined to the last public phone booth in New York City unless he does everything that's been requested including his confessions of his less than pure thoughts and actions resulting in either his death or his public humiliation. A one trick gimmick of having a character stuck in one setting proves to be the main problem of an otherwise intriguing premise cooked up by ?70s schlockmeister Larry Cohen (who wrote the script) and flashy direction by Joel Schumacher echoing his own `Falling Down' and dare say `Dog Day Afternoon'. My biggest gripe is the film was shot in LA outside of the opening on location set up in Times Square which gives the whole feel of the film screaming `fake' and ultimately the crazed gun man's lack of a reason to target Farrell.

• Anthony L

  
  *Ring ring* Hello Hi, did you know Hitchcock actually wanted to film this story before his death? No I didn't know that interesting fact, thanks for telling me. Is this film any good? Yeah, it's pretty good! Great, thanks. Bye Bye *Click*

• Al S

  
  Colin Farrel gives a riveting and electrifying performance. A off the hook type of acting that shines of movie star calibur. Forest Whitaker is teriffic. Kiefer Sutherland is perfectly menacing, a great performance. A brilliant, fast-paced, mind-blowing, smart and tension-building… More
  Colin Farrel gives a riveting and electrifying performance. A off the hook type of acting that shines of movie star calibur. Forest Whitaker is teriffic. Kiefer Sutherland is perfectly menacing, a great performance. A brilliant, fast-paced, mind-blowing, smart and tension-building psychological thriller. It keeps your pulse running high and dosent stop till the last heart-pounding second. It's slick, stylish and wickedly original.

• Aaron N

  
  The Caller: Stu, if you hang up, I will kill you. I really like this movie. Its a thriller that succeeds at doing exactly what it is going for. It takes a neat premise and pushes it along very quickly at an exciting 80 minutes. Colin Farrell teams up again with director Joel… More
  The Caller: Stu, if you hang up, I will kill you. I really like this movie. Its a thriller that succeeds at doing exactly what it is going for. It takes a neat premise and pushes it along very quickly at an exciting 80 minutes. Colin Farrell teams up again with director Joel Schumacher to make a quality flick. The Caller: You're in this position because you're not telling the truth. Stu: No, I'm in this fucking position because YOU HAVE A GUN! Farrell stars as Stu, a small-time publicist who talks the talk but may not walk the walk. He seems to spend his days lying to various companies, people, agencies about others to make money for himself and promote himself as the big item. He also has a routine of using one of the last phone booths in New York to call a cute waitress, Pam played by Katie Holmes, and flirt with her. The big problem is, on one particular day, the phone booth gives Stu a call, and on the other end is a sadistic caller aiming at Stu from across the street with a high powered sniper rifle. [the Caller cocks his gun] The Caller: Now doesn't that just torque your jaws? I love that. You know like in the movies just as the good guy is about to kill the bad guy, he cocks his gun. Now why didn't he have it cocked? Because that sound is scary. It's cool, isn't it? After a brief scuffle occurring at the booth with a man trying to force Stu out, a dead body is now at the scene and the police arrive. A captain, played by Forest Whitaker, is trying to understand the situation, but Stu is being forced by the caller, voiced by Kiefer Sutherland, to not make any sort of attempt to communicate his situation, let alone leave the booth. Stu: I already told you this is a private conversation. Now, what the fuck do you want? Capt. Ramey: I just want you to know, that it's safe outside the booth. The Caller: No, it's not. Stu: Always get out of the booth. I like in the fucking booth. It's my whole world now, this is my booth and I'm not coming out ever. You hear me? Never. Coming from an idea that Hitchcock supposedly had years ago, this is a wonderful concept for a thriller, and the idea is certainly pushed to its extremes. Shot in just 12 days, this movie makes good use of its setting, one block in New York is the backdrop to a consistently tense conversation between one man and a voice. Farrell is very good here. He has to go through a wide range of emotions to fully make this character go from asshole to one we want to see get through this terrible day and a long confession he delivers late in the game is certainly a well earned moment. Sutherland being involved to mainly provide a scary voice, is also very effective. Then you have a supporting cast that is headed up by Whitaker, who just works really well. Schumacher lends a little visual style to the film by adding some clever camera work and the use of split screens to get across a lot of parallel scenes at once. The score by Harry Gregson Williams is also effective. Its a small film in structure, but it certainly keeps one engaged. Stu: You shoot the guy, and I'm responsible? The Caller: It looked that way from up here. Stu: I don't know what I did to you, but whatever it was I'm glad. Alright, I wish it had been worse, I wish you had fucking died. The Caller: Yes! Finally some honesty.

• Arash X

  
  Well-made thriller but suffers from being preachy & one-dimensional moralistic

• Josh L

  
  Standout performance from Colin Farrel as well as a few twists keep this thriller lively despite a premise that would probably suggest otherwise. Kiefer Sutherland is also very good.

• Cherry D

  
  <i>"I've been dressing up as something I'm not for so long, I'm so afriad you won't like what's underneath. But here I am, just flesh and blood, and weakness...."</i> I'd been meaning to watch this for about 5 years but I never… More
  <i>"I've been dressing up as something I'm not for so long, I'm so afriad you won't like what's underneath. But here I am, just flesh and blood, and weakness...."</i> I'd been meaning to watch this for about 5 years but I never expected that a film shot almost entirely in a phone booth would be so gripping and entertaining. You get so immersed in the story that you don't feel the time pass.<br>Despite it being a fairly simple story, it manages to hold your attention. But it doesn't do this with action, simply with the suspense of what's going to happen next and the banter between its two main characters. The films use of split screens gives the impression that there's a lot going on at once making it feel fast paced, a pace which is maintained throughout. All actors perform very well with their characters and there's great chemistry between caller and victim, Kiefer Sutherland's voice has to be mentioned, so calm and creepy eee.<br> The moral message or killer/caller's motivation is effectively put across (it's not unlike the message given in the newer Saw movies, did anyone else notice?). Punishing people guilty of lies, lust, corruption etc.<br>All in all I found it a suspenseful thriller, with decent twists and turns that should keep you interested and at some points, on the edge of your seat. <i>"Always get out of the booth. I like in the fucking booth. It's my whole world now, this is my booth and I'm not coming out ever. You hear me? Never."</i>

Read all 20 featured audience ratings