Cellular

Directed by David R. Ellis, Cellular follows Kim Basinger’s Jessica Martin as she’s kidnapped by several goons, led by Jason Statham’s Ethan, and eventually forced to seek help from the random individual (Chris Evans’ Ryan) she’s able to reach over a broken phone. It’s a rather irresistible premise that’s employed to briskly-paced and often engrossing effect by Ellis, as the filmmaker, working from Chris Morgan’s screenplay, does a superb job of immediately drawing the viewer into the tight proceedings and perpetuating the watchable atmosphere by emphasizing stirring, exciting action set-pieces – with the better-than-average vibe heightened by the efforts of a uniformly stirring roster of performers. (Evans is undoubtedly at his charismatic best here and Macy provides able comic relief, to be sure, while Statham offers up an impressively menacing turn as the movie’s heavy.) And although the picture does falter in its prolonged and mostly ineffective climax, in which the characters pursue one another within a dimly-lit boathouse, Cellular nevertheless (and for the most part) comes off as a top-tier thriller that lives up to the massive promise held by its seemingly can’t-miss setup.

*** out of ****