Cellular (2004)
A young man receives an emergency phone call on his cell phone from an older woman. She claims to have been kidnapped – and the kidnappers have targeted her husband and child next.
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Best movie of this year hands down!
Very interesting film. Was caught on the premise when seeing the trailer but unsure as to what the outcome would be for the showing. As it turns out, it was a very good film.
The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.
The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one
I didn't see this movie until probably 2007. I don't even remember it being advertised. Then someone recommended it for a stormy weekend that most folk were already planning a marathon. Said it was the sleeper of the last 5 years. Ddaaahhhnnnnngggg....could NOT have been more right. I mean Amazon Prime *still* rents it for $4. It's *that* good. It's a buy and keep for sure. I don't want to give away spoilers or more than the synopsis, because *you* need to watch it for the plot twists and superb acting yourself. The script and character development are both amazing. Chris Evans, William H. Macy and Kim Bassinger give highly praiseworthy performances. And if you think I purposely left out Jason Statham, I did not, so *don't* think you know his type of character acting when watching this movie.If you've read my other movie reviews, you'll know I'm a tough sell to 'animate my suspended disbelief', but this one, I think any of us could see happening in the current news. No point in dragging this out. Just watch it. Enjoy. Thank me later.
Cellular (2004): Dir: David R. Ellis / Cast: Chris Evans, Kim Basinger, William H. Macy, Jason Statham, Eric Christian Olsen: Contrived piece of crap about distance. Rushed premise has Kim Basinger abducted and locked in an attic where the phone is shattered. She manages to patch things together enough to send a random call out, which is received by Chris Evans. Now he must reach her son before the kidnappers do. Filled with any possible annoying tactic to slow him down until it reaches a mindless climax. Director David R. Ellis does his best with the flimsy material but it has all the life of an episode of T.J. Hooker. Listening to a seminar on how to put batteries into things is more entertaining than this contrived piece of junk. Evans does his best with the annoying inconveniences that his role requires to go through. Basinger does little more than scream into the phone. If that is the case, then I hope her agent is on the other end. William H. Macy is another decent actor given the standard police detective role where everything depends on him avoiding idiotic plot contrivances. Jason Statham basically looks intimidating, but then again, he probably realizes that this garbage won't be up for any awards thus lessening his chances for better roles. There is little if anything original in this formula driven crap so viewers are advised to disconnect. Score: 2 / 10
Jessica Martin (Kim Basinger) is kidnapped and locked in a house. Ethan (Jason Statham) comes in and smashes the phone but somehow it still has a dial tone. Jessica frantically work the wires and calls up unsuspecting Ryan (Chris Evans). He hands off the phone to weary Sgt. Bob Mooney (William H. Macy) but he's busy with a ruckus. The kidnappers are after her kid and Ryan is off on a rescue mission. Mooney follows up on the case but one of the kidnappers Dana Bayback is impersonating Jessica.It's a pretty good thriller although it's very manufactured. It's a fun ride if you allow it to be. It reminds me of Speed except less fun and more ridiculous. The story relies on a lot of complicated coincidences. There are some interesting actors in this one. Basinger does good one-note acting. Chris Evans keeps the story from going off the rails. It's also interesting to see Jason Statham as a quiet intense bad guy.
A woman is kidnapped and locked in a room. There's a phone in the room but, her captor smashes it. She manages to get a dial tone but is unable to dial. She crosses wires and contacts a young Captain America. When she tells him that she has been kidnapped; he doesn't believe her, but he goes to the police to report the crime. He learns that her family's in danger so he tries to help them, but in the process of doing that he commits some acts that make the police sit up and notice him, but not in a good way.....It's directed by the guy that gave us Final Destination 2, SOAP, and Shark Night 3D, so you should realise that the film shouldn't be taken serious in the slightest, as you know for a fact that it won't take itself seriously.And then just realise how wonderfully absurd the whole thing is, from Basinger's hilarious acting, to Statham's accent, to the really fun set pieces, its a hoot from beginning to end.Macy is great, ever playing the serious role in something absurd, but his seriousness equals the funniest role in the whole movie.Evans is wonderful, and just spends the whole film looking perplexed and running really fast.Its high concept of the highest order, but it has a good story, and this is what makes it all the more watchable.