Joel Schumacher has directed so many bad movies I was certain this would be yet another notch on his bad movie belt. Instead, it was a pleasant surprise. The script was solid and suspenseful--which is no mesne feat given that virtually every scene takes place in a phone booth on a street corner. Farrell believably takes a call that he can't refuse. He displays tremendous range and control in this film, which is made all the more remarkable by the fact that he was holding a phone to his ear pretending to talk to someone on the other side of the line for probably 10 weeks of shooting. Okay, I realize that the premise is pretty far "out there," but the writer does a fine job of glossing over that fact and focusing on the credible portions of the script. Impressive. Sadly, Radha Mitchell gives perhaps her worst performance ever, and Katie Holmes is unusually bland, even by teen movie standards, but Farrell more than makes up for their shortcomings. Amazingly, his Irish brogue is nowhere to be found. Now will somebody explain to me why Leonardo DiCaprio got the lead in Gangs of New York instead of Colin Farrell? Casting is still a mystery to me. Sigh. Well, at least this film is worth seeing.
Review of Phone Booth
