[Movie] My review on Phone Booth (2002) One Call, No Way Out

I've had the Phone Booth on my watch list for a while, and I finally got to see it today but what I never expected was staying glued to such idea of a very simple movie that got my attention. Most part of this movie initially took place around one phone booth in New York, and thae same booth became Stu trapped when he picked up a call and the stranger in the line instructed him that if he hang up the call, he will be killed. What I like first was how Stu entered a trouble without him asking for it.

But watching closely, I got to know that Stu himself isn't the innocent man who simply or randomly answered the wrong call. Stu is a publicist and he has been having a secret affair with another lady known as Kelly while lying to his wife, Pam about it.

Already, before the caller started exposing things, Stu has been hiding and the phone booth where he has been placing the calls suddenly feel like a place that his life is being put on trial. And this time, he's not trying to dodge the call or preventing himself, but he's been forced to face the kind of person he's turning to.

And I like this scene that Stu was still on the call with the strange caller, but this time, he was trying to convince the person that he's not taking the situation closely. Because in his mind, he taught it was a prank, but everything changed when the caller told Stu that he has a riffle gun at his direction.
And at the point, Stu got to realise that the person isn't bluffing and he knows things about him already, where he is and what he's doing. Seeing all these invisible threats, I began to like the movie more. Because from what the person wad saying, the phone was already a weapon and I don't need to see the killer or the person pointing a gun to his head or standing next to him.

And when the police finally came around, everything was worse. Stu quickly became the obvious suspect when captain Ed Ramey arrived, sees a man who was holding a gun and people gathering around the booth. And with what was going on, Stu can't say exactly what was going on without him sounding stupid. And the situation he was in, the caller used that against him. And I like the three men conversation between Stu, the stranger and the cop, because Stu was still obeying the man on the phone knowing one mistake from him can turn the whole situation around.

The whole situation shifted from Stu as the caller began to manipulate the rest of the people around Stu. There was a prostitute who knows him, his wife in question, the crowd and even the police all became part of the puzzle, or lemme say the caller's game. But along the way, Stu become sober when he got to realised that stranger has planned other things apart from the phone call. And Stu's fear was increasing because it was getting beyond what he can control.

And I felt for Stu when the caller asked him to publicly admit his mistake. Because from the beginning of this movie, egae he was doing was to safeguard himself and his reputation. The caller kept on to strip him off his reputation. And to be sincere, I got to find it more interesting than what the caller earlier said that he was going to shot him if he tries to leave, because Stu was being punished for the image he created for himself that he has been using to hide behind confident public image.

Even though I so much like how this, the part I struggled with was still within the phone booth about how the caller managed to control everything without him being discovered. But I have no problem with the plot because it wasn't something complicated. Everything that happened was between Stu while those around him didn't understand what was going on.

I so much enjoyed and followed this movie because it turned an ordinary public phone booth into Stu prison. Stu cannot end the call, move away, can't trust anyone at that point especially the police. And he can't also say the truth without exposing himself, and he doesn't know who was threatening him. I like the fact that the movie took another dimension, and that it was around one location, it gave more tension. And if you enjoy watching watching thriller movies, I'll recommend you to watch this.

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_{Other images are screenshots from my movie player}