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The 2002 thriller Phone Booth had its moments but was limited by the confines of the title device. Here, director David R. Ellis and scriptwriter Chris Morgan give that film a wireless upgrade. The result is invigorated, though the plausibility of the plot, like the cellular signal it hangs on, threatens to fade out at times. The cast gives the material a big bounce too, especially Kim Basinger as the kidnap victim dangling from the end of a butchered phone that can dial only random numbers. Her Jessica Martin, a can-do housewife from a tony LA burb, takes a while to cement (the breathy pleas over the phone are almost laughable at first), but in the end, Basinger gives the role a personality. Jason Statham bristles as the menacing baddie, and William H. Macy delivers his usual hard-boiled, self-depreciating humor as the veteran cop caught up in the mess. But the film hangs on Chris Evans as the unsuspecting young stud who answers Jessica’s call and spends the rest of the movie jumping from one harrowing crash-bang encounter to the next. Evans, who’s blessed with Tom Cruise good looks, appears uncomfortable in the role of hero, but Ellis’s quick pacing makes that an easy obstacle to tune out. (94 minutes)
BY TOM MEEK
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