Cellular (2004)

A young man receives an emergency phone call on his cell phone from an older woman. The catch? The woman claims to have been kidnapped; and the kidnappers have targeted her husband and child next.

Director:

David R. Ellis

Writers:

Larry Cohen (story), Chris Morgan (screenplay)

Stars:

Kim Basinger, Chris Evans, William H. Macy

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Caroline Aaron	...	Marilyn Mooney
Kim Basinger	...	Jessica Martin
Brenda Ballard	...	Irate Customer #1
Will Beinbrink	...	Young Security Guard
Jessica Biel	...	Chloe
Chase Bloch	...	Timid Boy
Chelsea Ellis Bloch	...	Surf Girl's Friend (as Chelsea Bloch)
Chantille Boudousque	...	Chloe's Chilly Friend
Robin Brenner	...	Excitable Customer
Richard Burgi	...	Craig Martin
Paige Cannon	...	Girl at Concert
Nikki Christian	...	Porsche Girl
John Churchill	...	Young Guard
Greg Collins	...	Aging Security Guard
Valerie Cruz	...	Dana Bayback

Storyline

A young man receives a call on his cellular phone from a woman who says she's been kidnapped, and thinks she's going to be killed soon, along with her husband and son who the kidnappers have gone after next. The catch? She doesn't know where she is... and his cell phone battery might go dead soon.

---

Plot Keywords:

cell phone | police | family in danger | stealing a car | los angeles california | 

---

Taglines:

If the signal dies so does she.

---

Genres:

Action | Crime | Drama | Thriller

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for violence, terror situations, language and some sexual references

Details

Official Sites:

Metropolitan Filmexport [France] New Line Cinema [United States]

Country:

USA Germany

Language:

English

Release Date:

10 September 2004 (USA)

Also Known As:

Final Call

Filming Locations:

527 Loring Ave, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$25,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$147,958 (Japan) (25 February 2005)

Gross:

$218,712 (South Africa) (4 March 2005)

Company Credits

Production Co:

New Line Cinema, Electric Entertainment, LFG Filmproduktions & Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

94 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This film was set to be Dean Devlin's directorial debut, but he decided to produce instead.

---

Goofs

The Nokia 6600, used by Ryan to record the video showing the kidnappers executing people supports a maximum of 176x144 pixels when recording. However the clip displayed on the phone has a much higher resolution.

---

Quotes

[first lines]
Ricky Martin: Mom, will you still be a science teacher when I get into high school?
Jessica Martin: Hmm... You never know. Why?
Ricky Martin: 'Cause I think it'd be kind of weird to have your mom as a teacher.

---

Crazy Credits

The first part of the closing credits show cast and crew names on cellular telephone screens.

---

Connections

Referenced in 'London': Behind the Scenes (2006)

---

Soundtracks

"Running Away"
Written by Garrett Dutton
Performed by Garrett Dutton (as G. Love)
Courtesy of Philadelphonic Records

User Reviews

Keeps you on your toes

I happened to catch this movie during a free-preview weekend on Starz. I had never heard of it, so I did not know what to expect. For the whole duration of the movie, about 90 min., I was at the edge of my seat. The plot takes several unexpected turns and is packed with continuous action, while the characters are very believable. O.k., fine, it does not deal with deep moral issues, if you want a movie that will make you want to go out and change the world this is not it. But if you want an entertaining movie that will give you a big dose of adrenaline, will have you raise yourself from your seat, I strongly recommend it. By the way, I am not a big fun of horror teenage movies like Scream, I just don't find them believable, and find the characters shallow. The best part about this movie is that you actually feel sympathy for the victims, the plot is probable, and the action scenes do not require that the actors possess superhuman strength. At the end of the movie the only thing I could think of was "holy cow", a response I usually associate with a great roller coaster ride.