Phone Booth (2007, Blu-ray Disc)

A lot of people have a fantasy about getting even with people who think of nothing but dollar signs, and care little about anyone or anything but themselves. One of those people has taken the fantasy to the level of deadly reality. He has been watching New York talent agent Stu Shepherd (Colin Farrell), and has decided that Stu needs a life lesson. How Stu handles his life lesson determines whether this person allows Stu to live or die in "Phone Booth." "Phone Booth" is a story that says nobody has the right to play judge, jury, and executioner over anyone else, no matter how much someone thinks someone else has it coming. That is also a central theme to another recent release, "Identity."

Stu is a very self-absorbed man. He has an unpaid assistant who wants to be in the same line of work as Stu. He eats free at the best restaurants for the promise of bringing events to these places. He has a young girlfriend named Pam (Katie Holmes), even though he is married to Kelly (Radha Mitchell). Even though he has a cell phone, he uses the only working pay phone on 53rd Street to call Pam. A pizza delivery man attempts to give Stu a pizza at the booth, but he refuses it. After finishing his call with Pam, Stu hears the phone ring again. When he answers, a caller (Kiefer Sutherland) tells Stu that if he leaves the booth, he will die. To make his point, the caller points the laser scope of his rifle at Stu's chest, and claims responsibility for the recent killings of two other men. To further make the point, the caller kills a man who doesn't like that Stu is monopolizing the booth, and physically attempts to remove Stu from it. To the nearest eyewitnesses, it seems as if Stu is the shooter.

The killing brings both the police and the media to the scene. The ranking officer at the scene, Captain Ed Ramey (Forest Whitaker), holds the other police at bay and orders Stu to throw away his weapon. Stu, of course, has no weapon, but Ramey wants the situation to come to a quick and peaceful conclusion. The caller might, too. The resolution all depends on how Stu responds to the caller's demands, which includes keeping all of the officers away from the phone. He keeps the law away from him by rerouting the call, thus making it hard to trace. The media and the police have already created a spectacle with their show of force. Kelly and Pam have also made their way to the scene, for they have received unusual calls from Stu's tormentor. He wants Stu to be the main spectacle, as Stu pleads he will do anything to live. It is up to the fast-talking, quick-thinking agent to determine whether these moments will be his last or not.

"Phone Booth," as many people know, was slated for release late in 2002. However, the rampage of snipers John Muhammad and Lee Boyd Malvo unfolded in the weeks preceding the original release date. The real-life terror pushed the release of "Phone Booth" back for several months. Director Joel Schumacher has filled the call with tension as a battle of wits has been taken to a dangerous extreme. Such an unsettling scenario would surely have hit too close to home earlier, as Muhammad and Malvo were arrested just before "Phone Booth" was slated to debut in theaters. The pacing goes well, but the conflict is resolved in a most unsatisfactory way. The film is of interest because the conversations are of interest. The caller knows a lot about Stu's life, and now he has placed a call for his life. For example, he knows that Stu takes off his wedding ring any time he goes to the booth to call Pam. He also barks orders and questions that make Stu think quickly. The screenplay comes courtesy of Larry Cohen, a veteran TV and film writer with over 40 years experience. The interplay between Stu, Ramey, and the caller is filled with spark, but the ending is a total dud. The excitement of the first eighty minutes dissipates in the final five. I guess that the people involved in the making of "Phone Booth" were looking for a different ending, but this is the wrong kind of different.

Exposure delayed, though, does not translate into exposure denied for Farrell. In a little over a year, the Irish actor has appeared in three other American releases, most notably "Minority Report." I could feel his confusion and pain as Stu, a man who has lived his life less than admirably. Of course, he learns he could live his life far less admirably. Whitaker brings a calming presence to his role as Ramey, who wisely assesses the situation, even with fellow officers and a hostage negotiator anxious to end things their way. Sutherland, who is not seen at all during the call, is disturbing and menacing as the caller whose real name we never know. His commanding voice proves he means business, and he proves to be a bit sadistic as he laughs at Stu's responses. When Ramey demands to know who's on the line with Stu, Stu insists the caller is a psychiatrist. The caller also gets a kick out of making Stu make fun of Ramey. He treats Stu's life as a game, but there's nothing amusing with his style.

It's upsetting to many of us to hear of corporate executives who know of impending doom quietly cash in their stock while their corporations fall into bankruptcy. Those who lost their jobs as a result of these collapses have probably thought of a revenge similar to the one the caller unleashes in "Phone Booth." Others have likely entertained more base thoughts, like hunting down the executives and pulling the trigger. Stu Shepherd is clearly guilty of greed and of adultery, but he doesn't deserve a final and summary judgment at the hands of any man. "Phone Booth" is the tale of the shortcomings of all men. All of us are people who have moments where we don't look good in the eyes of others. Payback may run through the minds of some, but we are all worthy of some measure of forgiveness, just like Stu Shepherd. If we weren't, we'd find out just how ugly the world could be.