Phone Booth

Directed by Joel Schumacher, Phone Booth follows slick publicist Stuart Shepard (Colin Farrell) as he finds himself stuck inside the title locale after a deadly sharpshooter (Kiefer Sutherland) threatens his life (and the lives of those around him). It’s a high-concept setup that’s employed to rather hit-and-miss effect by Schumacher, as the filmmaker, working from Larry Cohen’s screenplay, delivers an erratic thriller that’s rarely as taut or engrossing as one might’ve anticipated – with the watchable yet underwhelming atmosphere compounded by Farrell’s less-than-successful efforts at transforming Stu into a compelling, sympathetic figure (and his sketchy American accent does little to help, as well). There’s little doubt, then, that Phone Booth benefits substantially from its smattering of admittedly tense sequences and stretches, and it’s clear, too, that Sutherland’s menacing voicework as the picture’s mysterious villain goes a long way towards smoothing over the frequent bumps in the narrative. The exciting climax ensures that the whole thing concludes on a positive, engaging note, for sure, with the end result a brisk-yet-not-brisk-enough thriller that feels like it could (and should) be so much better.

**1/2 out of ****