Publicist Stuart Shepard finds himself trapped in a phone booth, pinned down by an extortionist's sniper rifle. Unable to leave or receive outside help, Stuart's negotiation with the caller leads to a jaw-dropping climax.
Stu Shepard is a fast talking and wise cracking New York City publicist who gets out of trouble and lies with his clever charm, connections, and charisma. Stu's greatest lie is to his wife Kelly, who he is cheating on with his girlfriend, Pam. Upon answering a call in a phone booth in belief it is Pam, Stu is on the line with a dangerous yet intelligent psychopath with a sniper rifle. When realizing it is not a joke, Stu is placed in a powerful mind game of wits and corruption. The New York City Police eventually arrive thereafter and demand Stu comes out of the phone booth- but how can he when if he hangs up or leaves the booth he will die?Written by
commanderblue
When Stu's wife is with the police trying to talk Stu out of the phone both she tries to say "Do what they tell you to do, Stu!". Instead what she actually said was "Stu what they tell you do!". (When putting on the subtitles for the movie it confirms she was supposed to say "Do what they tell you to do, Stu!".) See more »
Stu Shepard is a press agent. By definition that means he is a liar. One day Stu tells one lie too many, and, as he stands in a phone booth, he finds himself at the mercy of a vicious but sardonic sniper who demands the truth from him.
"Phone Booth" is an absolutely terrific thriller. I was intrigued by the concept when I first heard about it: a film set almost entirely within the confines of a phone booth! Frankly, having little respect for director Joel Schumacher after his bloated Batman sequels and mindless Grisham adaptations, I didn't expect much, but I was pleasantly surprised. With every plot twist, I was on the edge of my seat wondering how the film makers were going to resolve the escalating situation without violating the internal perspective of the film. Schumacher and company always did so with great panache, but this film is more than a esoteric experiment in film making technique. It is a fast-paced, suspenseful thriller.
While much of the success of the film rests firmly on the shoulders of Colin Farrell, who plays wonderfully against the disembodied voice of Kiefer Sutherland, the real star of the movie is screenwriter Larry Cohen. Cohen, a crafty old veteran from the B-movie world, deserved an Oscar nomination for this inventive script which was so old that it was actually offered to Alfred Hitchcock. (I wish he would have tackled it!) Bravo, Mr. Cohen. Maybe it's time for me to start checking out your "Maniac Cop" films.
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Stu Shepard is a press agent. By definition that means he is a liar. One day Stu tells one lie too many, and, as he stands in a phone booth, he finds himself at the mercy of a vicious but sardonic sniper who demands the truth from him.
"Phone Booth" is an absolutely terrific thriller. I was intrigued by the concept when I first heard about it: a film set almost entirely within the confines of a phone booth! Frankly, having little respect for director Joel Schumacher after his bloated Batman sequels and mindless Grisham adaptations, I didn't expect much, but I was pleasantly surprised. With every plot twist, I was on the edge of my seat wondering how the film makers were going to resolve the escalating situation without violating the internal perspective of the film. Schumacher and company always did so with great panache, but this film is more than a esoteric experiment in film making technique. It is a fast-paced, suspenseful thriller.
While much of the success of the film rests firmly on the shoulders of Colin Farrell, who plays wonderfully against the disembodied voice of Kiefer Sutherland, the real star of the movie is screenwriter Larry Cohen. Cohen, a crafty old veteran from the B-movie world, deserved an Oscar nomination for this inventive script which was so old that it was actually offered to Alfred Hitchcock. (I wish he would have tackled it!) Bravo, Mr. Cohen. Maybe it's time for me to start checking out your "Maniac Cop" films.