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Phone Booth (film)
Encyclopedia
Phone Booth is a 2002 American suspense-thriller film about a man who is held hostage in a telephone booth
by a sniper
. It stars Colin Farrell
, Kiefer Sutherland
, Forest Whitaker
, Katie Holmes
, and Radha Mitchell
. The film was directed by Joel Schumacher
, with music composed by Harry Gregson-Williams
. The film was originally scheduled to be released on November 15, 2002, but was delayed until April 4, 2003 due to the Beltway sniper attacks
.
) is an arrogant publicist who is contemplating cheating on his wife Kelly (Radha Mitchell
). He calls Pam (Katie Holmes
), a young actress, from a phone booth. When a delivery man (Dell Yount) tries to deliver a free pizza to the booth, Stu rudely dismisses him. After the phone call with Pam, the phone rings and Stu answers it. The caller (Kiefer Sutherland
), says that Stu should have accepted the pizza as it would have "kept his strength up for what comes next". He warns Stu not to leave the booth. Stu, again dismissive, is skeptical toward the mystery caller. The caller says that he'll say hi to Kelly for him, then hangs up, leaving Stu visibly concerned.
The man calls back and reveals that he had previously setup two other dishonest individuals in a similar situation, where he gave them a chance to redeem themselves but since both refused he had to kill both of them. One was a pedophile, and the other was a business executive who used inside information to cash in his stock options before the company share price collapsed (and refused the caller's request to share the proceeds with regular investors who got burned on that stock). The caller tells Stu that he must tell Kelly and Pam the truth: that he's cheating. The man calls Pam, puts Stu on speakerphone, and tells her that Stu is married and doesn't want anything with Pam except to sleep with her. He then tells Stu to call his wife and tell her the truth, or else he will. Angrily, Stu does so.
Before he has a chance to tell Kelly the truth, Stu is distracted by three prostitutes
who want to use the phone. The prostitutes become hostile due to Stu's refusal to leave the booth, and they start banging against the glass. Stu becomes agitated and finally hangs up on his wife and yells at the prostitutes to leave him alone. As the two girls leave, the man calls and warns Stu that if he hangs up again, he will shoot him. Stu doesn't believe him but is convinced when the man cocks his rifle. Stu gets scared, warning him that if he shoots, the cops will arrive. However, the sniper proves him to be wrong by shooting a toy robot next to the booth without anyone noticing. The caller continues to mock Stu's faith that the caller isn't capable.
The situation escalates further when the prostitutes and their pimp, Leon (John Enos III
), approach the booth and demand that Stu leave. Terrified that he will be shot, Stu refuses. The impasse between Stu and Leon escalates to the point of Leon breaking into the booth with a bat and attacking Stu. The sniper tells Stu he can help him and Stu says "yes". Leon is shot in the back by the sniper and horrify the prostitutes, who accuse Stu.
The police arrive and Stu is instantly the suspect. He doubts that they will find any evidence to suggest his guilt to the murder, but later finds out the sniper has planted a gun in the phone booth that could be used to show he is hostile. Captain Ed Ramey (Forest Whitaker
) tries to negotiate with Stu to exit the booth but he says he cannot get off the call and he is talking to his "psychiatrist". Multiple news vans arrive, and reporters begin filming the situation, putting pressure on the police to deal with the situation without appearing trigger-happy. The caller continues to bait Stu by telling him to take hold of the planted gun, or he would "Blow him (Ramey) Away!" but Stu refuses, knowing the police will likely shoot him.
Kelly arrives at the scene and the sniper makes Stu confess to her about his infidelity, which Stu does. The man asks Stu to choose between Pam and Kelly, threatening to kill one of them to eliminate further temptation. The caller tells Stu that there are men trying to tap into the call, but will never succeed as the caller has taken precautions to avoid it.
Stu pleads with the sniper while at the same time using his cell phone to call Kelly, who secretly informs Captain Ramey of the sniper's presence when Ramey hears the conversation. Stu confesses his bad character to the crowd, telling his unpaid assistant, Adam (Keith Nobbs
), who looks up to Stu, not to become a publicist and admitting his $2,000 watch is a fake, like himself. Stu explains he grew up in the Bronx and he wanted to put his past behind him by buying expensive clothes. He is also not as rich as he seems.
The police finally track down the sniper by tracing the call the sniper made to Kelly, and Ramey tells Stu through a cryptic message that they have done so. Stu informs the sniper that the cops are coming to get him and the now enraged sniper chooses to take Kelly with him, seeing as she is the most important thing in his life. Panicked, Stu takes the planted gun, runs out of the booth and yells, "it's me you want!" Stu is shot and falls down just as police break into a hotel room, discovering a dead body, a phone, and a sniper rifle. It is then revealed that Stu had been hit by a rubber bullet from a police sniper, leaving him relatively unharmed. Kelly runs over and kisses Stu who's still on the ground. The police wheel the body they found in the hotel room down onto the street, and Kelly insists on seeing the sniper's body. Stu identifies the body as the pizza delivery man.
Stu is recovering under morphine
in an ambulance
which makes him drowsy. A man carrying a large violin case walks up to him, and compliments his shoes. The man says that he regrets killing the pizza deliverer and warns Stu that if his newfound honesty does not last, he will be hearing from him again. He walks away and smiles as he passes the phone booth, revealing himself to be the caller. Stu falls unconscious. The caller, now the narrator, says, "Isn't it funny? You hear a phone ring, and it could be anybody...but a ringing phone has to be answered, doesn't it?" The phone booth rings once again, and the film ends with a man answering, "Hello?"
originally pitched the concept of a film that takes place entirely within a phone booth to Alfred Hitchcock
in the 1960s. Hitchcock liked the idea, but he and Cohen were unable to figure out a sufficient plot reason for keeping the film confined to a booth, and hence they never made the idea into a film. It was only after the late 1990s that Cohen revisited the concept again when the idea of the sniper
came to him.
The principal photography on the film was completed in 10 days, with an additional 2 days of establishing shots, pickups, and re-shoots. This accelerated filming schedule was aided by the adoption of French hours
, a work schedule that skips the typical one-hour production shutdown for lunch break.
The film is set in real time
, so the timespan in which the film takes place is as long as it takes to watch it, much like the television series 24
, which also stars Kiefer Sutherland
. Like 24, it also uses split screens
.
Even though the film is set in New York City
, it was filmed in downtown Los Angeles
(at Fifth Street, between S Broadway and S Spring Street) in November 2000. This is made evident by the LACMTA
buses periodically driving by.
. Ebert and Roeper gave the film "two thumbs up".
Telephone booth
A telephone booth, telephone kiosk, telephone call box or telephone box is a small structure furnished with a payphone and designed for a telephone user's convenience. In the USA, Canada and Australia, "telephone booth" is used, while in the UK and the rest of the Commonwealth it is a "telephone...
by a sniper
Sniper
A sniper is a marksman who shoots targets from concealed positions or distances exceeding the capabilities of regular personnel. Snipers typically have specialized training and distinct high-precision rifles....
. It stars Colin Farrell
Colin Farrell
Colin James Farrell is an Irish actor, who has appeared in such film as Tigerland, Miami Vice, Minority Report, Phone Booth, The Recruit, Alexander and S.W.A.T....
, Kiefer Sutherland
Kiefer Sutherland
Kiefer Sutherland is an English-born Canadian actor, producer and director, best known for his portrayal of Jack Bauer on the Fox thriller drama series 24 for which he has won an Emmy Award , a Golden Globe award , two Screen Actors Guild Awards and two Satellite...
, Forest Whitaker
Forest Whitaker
Forest Steven Whitaker is an American actor, producer, and director. He has earned a reputation for intensive character study work for films such as Bird and Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai, and for his recurring role as ex-LAPD Lieutenant Jon Kavanaugh on the gritty, award-winning television...
, Katie Holmes
Katie Holmes
Katherine Noelle "Katie" Holmes is an American actress who first achieved fame for her role as Joey Potter on The WB television teen drama Dawson's Creek from 1998 to 2003. Her movie roles have included the blockbuster Batman Begins along with art house films such as The Ice Storm and thrillers...
, and Radha Mitchell
Radha Mitchell
Radha Rani Amber Indigo Anunda Mitchell is an Australian actress. Her film roles include Finding Neverland, Phone Booth, Man on Fire, Silent Hill, and the The Crazies-Early life:...
. The film was directed by Joel Schumacher
Joel Schumacher
Joel T. Schumacher is an American film director, screenwriter and producer.-Early life:Schumacher was born in New York City, the son of Marian and Francis Schumacher. His mother was a Swedish Jew, and his father was a Baptist from Knoxville, Tennessee, who died when Joel was four years old...
, with music composed by Harry Gregson-Williams
Harry Gregson-Williams
Harry Gregson-Williams is a prolific British composer, orchestrator, conductor, and music producer. He is best known for his film scores, of which he has composed over sixty using electronic music and orchestral pieces...
. The film was originally scheduled to be released on November 15, 2002, but was delayed until April 4, 2003 due to the Beltway sniper attacks
Beltway sniper attacks
The Washington sniper attacks took place during three weeks in October 2002 in Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia. Ten people were killed and three others critically injured in various locations throughout the Washington Metropolitan Area and along Interstate 95 in Virginia...
.
Plot
Stu Shepard (Colin FarrellColin Farrell
Colin James Farrell is an Irish actor, who has appeared in such film as Tigerland, Miami Vice, Minority Report, Phone Booth, The Recruit, Alexander and S.W.A.T....
) is an arrogant publicist who is contemplating cheating on his wife Kelly (Radha Mitchell
Radha Mitchell
Radha Rani Amber Indigo Anunda Mitchell is an Australian actress. Her film roles include Finding Neverland, Phone Booth, Man on Fire, Silent Hill, and the The Crazies-Early life:...
). He calls Pam (Katie Holmes
Katie Holmes
Katherine Noelle "Katie" Holmes is an American actress who first achieved fame for her role as Joey Potter on The WB television teen drama Dawson's Creek from 1998 to 2003. Her movie roles have included the blockbuster Batman Begins along with art house films such as The Ice Storm and thrillers...
), a young actress, from a phone booth. When a delivery man (Dell Yount) tries to deliver a free pizza to the booth, Stu rudely dismisses him. After the phone call with Pam, the phone rings and Stu answers it. The caller (Kiefer Sutherland
Kiefer Sutherland
Kiefer Sutherland is an English-born Canadian actor, producer and director, best known for his portrayal of Jack Bauer on the Fox thriller drama series 24 for which he has won an Emmy Award , a Golden Globe award , two Screen Actors Guild Awards and two Satellite...
), says that Stu should have accepted the pizza as it would have "kept his strength up for what comes next". He warns Stu not to leave the booth. Stu, again dismissive, is skeptical toward the mystery caller. The caller says that he'll say hi to Kelly for him, then hangs up, leaving Stu visibly concerned.
The man calls back and reveals that he had previously setup two other dishonest individuals in a similar situation, where he gave them a chance to redeem themselves but since both refused he had to kill both of them. One was a pedophile, and the other was a business executive who used inside information to cash in his stock options before the company share price collapsed (and refused the caller's request to share the proceeds with regular investors who got burned on that stock). The caller tells Stu that he must tell Kelly and Pam the truth: that he's cheating. The man calls Pam, puts Stu on speakerphone, and tells her that Stu is married and doesn't want anything with Pam except to sleep with her. He then tells Stu to call his wife and tell her the truth, or else he will. Angrily, Stu does so.
Before he has a chance to tell Kelly the truth, Stu is distracted by three prostitutes
Prostitution
Prostitution is the act or practice of providing sexual services to another person in return for payment. The person who receives payment for sexual services is called a prostitute and the person who receives such services is known by a multitude of terms, including a "john". Prostitution is one of...
who want to use the phone. The prostitutes become hostile due to Stu's refusal to leave the booth, and they start banging against the glass. Stu becomes agitated and finally hangs up on his wife and yells at the prostitutes to leave him alone. As the two girls leave, the man calls and warns Stu that if he hangs up again, he will shoot him. Stu doesn't believe him but is convinced when the man cocks his rifle. Stu gets scared, warning him that if he shoots, the cops will arrive. However, the sniper proves him to be wrong by shooting a toy robot next to the booth without anyone noticing. The caller continues to mock Stu's faith that the caller isn't capable.
The situation escalates further when the prostitutes and their pimp, Leon (John Enos III
John Enos III
John Enos III is an American actor, known for the role of Bobby Marsino in the soap opera The Young and the Restless from 2003 to 2005. Enos' other screen credits include guest roles on NYPD Blue, Sex and the City , Melrose Place and Murder, She Wrote...
), approach the booth and demand that Stu leave. Terrified that he will be shot, Stu refuses. The impasse between Stu and Leon escalates to the point of Leon breaking into the booth with a bat and attacking Stu. The sniper tells Stu he can help him and Stu says "yes". Leon is shot in the back by the sniper and horrify the prostitutes, who accuse Stu.
The police arrive and Stu is instantly the suspect. He doubts that they will find any evidence to suggest his guilt to the murder, but later finds out the sniper has planted a gun in the phone booth that could be used to show he is hostile. Captain Ed Ramey (Forest Whitaker
Forest Whitaker
Forest Steven Whitaker is an American actor, producer, and director. He has earned a reputation for intensive character study work for films such as Bird and Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai, and for his recurring role as ex-LAPD Lieutenant Jon Kavanaugh on the gritty, award-winning television...
) tries to negotiate with Stu to exit the booth but he says he cannot get off the call and he is talking to his "psychiatrist". Multiple news vans arrive, and reporters begin filming the situation, putting pressure on the police to deal with the situation without appearing trigger-happy. The caller continues to bait Stu by telling him to take hold of the planted gun, or he would "Blow him (Ramey) Away!" but Stu refuses, knowing the police will likely shoot him.
Kelly arrives at the scene and the sniper makes Stu confess to her about his infidelity, which Stu does. The man asks Stu to choose between Pam and Kelly, threatening to kill one of them to eliminate further temptation. The caller tells Stu that there are men trying to tap into the call, but will never succeed as the caller has taken precautions to avoid it.
Stu pleads with the sniper while at the same time using his cell phone to call Kelly, who secretly informs Captain Ramey of the sniper's presence when Ramey hears the conversation. Stu confesses his bad character to the crowd, telling his unpaid assistant, Adam (Keith Nobbs
Keith Nobbs
Keith Nobbs is an American stage, television, and film actor perhaps best known for his portrayal of Joey Ice Cream in the TV series The Black Donnellys....
), who looks up to Stu, not to become a publicist and admitting his $2,000 watch is a fake, like himself. Stu explains he grew up in the Bronx and he wanted to put his past behind him by buying expensive clothes. He is also not as rich as he seems.
Stu is recovering under morphine
Morphine
Morphine is a potent opiate analgesic medication and is considered to be the prototypical opioid. It was first isolated in 1804 by Friedrich Sertürner, first distributed by same in 1817, and first commercially sold by Merck in 1827, which at the time was a single small chemists' shop. It was more...
in an ambulance
Ambulance
An ambulance is a vehicle for transportation of sick or injured people to, from or between places of treatment for an illness or injury, and in some instances will also provide out of hospital medical care to the patient...
which makes him drowsy. A man carrying a large violin case walks up to him, and compliments his shoes. The man says that he regrets killing the pizza deliverer and warns Stu that if his newfound honesty does not last, he will be hearing from him again. He walks away and smiles as he passes the phone booth, revealing himself to be the caller. Stu falls unconscious. The caller, now the narrator, says, "Isn't it funny? You hear a phone ring, and it could be anybody...but a ringing phone has to be answered, doesn't it?" The phone booth rings once again, and the film ends with a man answering, "Hello?"
Cast
- Colin FarrellColin FarrellColin James Farrell is an Irish actor, who has appeared in such film as Tigerland, Miami Vice, Minority Report, Phone Booth, The Recruit, Alexander and S.W.A.T....
as Stu Shepard - Kiefer SutherlandKiefer SutherlandKiefer Sutherland is an English-born Canadian actor, producer and director, best known for his portrayal of Jack Bauer on the Fox thriller drama series 24 for which he has won an Emmy Award , a Golden Globe award , two Screen Actors Guild Awards and two Satellite...
as The Caller - Forest WhitakerForest WhitakerForest Steven Whitaker is an American actor, producer, and director. He has earned a reputation for intensive character study work for films such as Bird and Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai, and for his recurring role as ex-LAPD Lieutenant Jon Kavanaugh on the gritty, award-winning television...
as Captain Ed Ramey - Radha MitchellRadha MitchellRadha Rani Amber Indigo Anunda Mitchell is an Australian actress. Her film roles include Finding Neverland, Phone Booth, Man on Fire, Silent Hill, and the The Crazies-Early life:...
as Kelly Shepard - Katie HolmesKatie HolmesKatherine Noelle "Katie" Holmes is an American actress who first achieved fame for her role as Joey Potter on The WB television teen drama Dawson's Creek from 1998 to 2003. Her movie roles have included the blockbuster Batman Begins along with art house films such as The Ice Storm and thrillers...
as Pamela McFadden - Maile FlanaganMaile FlanaganMaile Flanagan is an American actress known for her role as the protagonist ninja Naruto Uzumaki in Naruto, Geri O'Flanagan in 3Way, and Janet in Yes Man.-Personal life:...
as Lana - Ben Foster as Big Q (uncredited)
- Paula Jai ParkerPaula Jai ParkerPaula Jai Parker is an American actress and comedian. She is best known of her roles as Lexus in Hustle & Flow, Joi in Friday, and as the voice of matriarch Trudy Proud on the Disney Channel animated sitcom The Proud Family....
as Felicia - Arian Ash as Corky
- Tia TexadaTia TexadaTia Texada is an American actress and singer. She is probably best known for portraying the role of Sgt. Maritza Cruz from the American television show Third Watch and for her role as Shay on ABC Family's Huge.Texada was born in Louisiana to a reflexologist mother and an insurance agent father...
as Asia - John Enos IIIJohn Enos IIIJohn Enos III is an American actor, known for the role of Bobby Marsino in the soap opera The Young and the Restless from 2003 to 2005. Enos' other screen credits include guest roles on NYPD Blue, Sex and the City , Melrose Place and Murder, She Wrote...
as Leon - Richard T. JonesRichard T. JonesRichard Timothy Jones is an American film and television actor.Jones was born in Kobe, Japan and raised in Carson, California. He is the son of Lorene, a computer analyst, and Clarence Jones, a professional baseball player and the hitting instructor for the Cleveland Indians. He also has an older...
as Sergeant Cole - Keith NobbsKeith NobbsKeith Nobbs is an American stage, television, and film actor perhaps best known for his portrayal of Joey Ice Cream in the TV series The Black Donnellys....
as Adam - Alex Tang as Sam Jones
- Jared LetoJared LetoJared Joseph Leto is an American actor, director, producer, occasional model and musician. Leto has appeared in both big budget Hollywood films and smaller projects from independent producers and art houses. He rose to prominence for playing Jordan Catalano in the teenage drama My So-Called Life...
as Actor - Dell Yount as Pizza Guy
Production
Larry CohenLarry Cohen
Lawrence G. "Larry" Cohen is an American film producer, director, and screenwriter. He is best known as a B-Movie auteur of horror and science fiction films - often containing a police procedural element - during 1970s and 1980s...
originally pitched the concept of a film that takes place entirely within a phone booth to Alfred Hitchcock
Alfred Hitchcock
Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock, KBE was a British film director and producer. He pioneered many techniques in the suspense and psychological thriller genres. After a successful career in British cinema in both silent films and early talkies, Hitchcock moved to Hollywood...
in the 1960s. Hitchcock liked the idea, but he and Cohen were unable to figure out a sufficient plot reason for keeping the film confined to a booth, and hence they never made the idea into a film. It was only after the late 1990s that Cohen revisited the concept again when the idea of the sniper
Sniper
A sniper is a marksman who shoots targets from concealed positions or distances exceeding the capabilities of regular personnel. Snipers typically have specialized training and distinct high-precision rifles....
came to him.
The principal photography on the film was completed in 10 days, with an additional 2 days of establishing shots, pickups, and re-shoots. This accelerated filming schedule was aided by the adoption of French hours
French hours
French hours is a term used in the film industry, when there is no break for lunch. Instead food is passed around all day long and the crew works continuously. The lack of a lunch break means that crew members and the cast has to steal moments to eat. Joel Schumacher employed French Hours in...
, a work schedule that skips the typical one-hour production shutdown for lunch break.
The film is set in real time
Real-time (media)
Real time within the media is a method of narratology wherein events are portrayed at the same rate that the audience experiences them. For example, if a movie told in real-time is two hours long, then the plot of that movie covers two hours of fictional time...
, so the timespan in which the film takes place is as long as it takes to watch it, much like the television series 24
24 (TV series)
24 is an American television series produced for the Fox Network and syndicated worldwide, starring Kiefer Sutherland as Counter Terrorist Unit agent Jack Bauer. Each 24-episode season covers 24 hours in the life of Bauer, using the real time method of narration...
, which also stars Kiefer Sutherland
Kiefer Sutherland
Kiefer Sutherland is an English-born Canadian actor, producer and director, best known for his portrayal of Jack Bauer on the Fox thriller drama series 24 for which he has won an Emmy Award , a Golden Globe award , two Screen Actors Guild Awards and two Satellite...
. Like 24, it also uses split screens
Split screen (film)
In film and video production, split screen is the visible division of the screen, traditionally in half, but also in several simultaneous images, rupturing the illusion that the screen's frame is a seamless view of reality, similar to that of the human eye...
.
Even though the film is set in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, it was filmed in downtown Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
(at Fifth Street, between S Broadway and S Spring Street) in November 2000. This is made evident by the LACMTA
Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority
The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority is the California state-chartered regional transportation planning agency and public transportation operating agency for the County of Los Angeles formed in 1993 out of a merger of the Southern California Rapid Transit District and the...
buses periodically driving by.
Reception
As of October 2011, the film holds a 71% "Fresh" rating on Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
. Ebert and Roeper gave the film "two thumbs up".
Box office
| Box office revenue | Box office ranking | Reference | |||
| United States/Canada | Other territories | Worldwide | All time US/Canada | All time worldwide | |
| $46,566,212 | $51,270,926 | $97,837,138 | #1,187 | # |