Phone Booth (2003)

Whadaya know, it ain't that bad! Joel Schumacher and Larry Cohen (two filmmakers I don't much care for) put their best foot forward and turn out a tight li'l suspenser about a public relations man pinned down by a moralistic sniper. The brevity helps, but really, once you get past the initial goofiness of the concept, this is quite compelling all the way up to Colin Farrell's big speech (and even that, Farrell manages to sell through sheer conviction). Last ten minutes are a bust (are we really supposed to believe that the sniper planned everything out to the tiniest detail, up to the point where he essentially allows the cops to 'find' him?), but the coda is interesting in its refusal to choose either optimism or pessimism; Kiefer Sutherland still has the creepiest voice in Hollywood. (The film wouldn't have been nearly as effective with Ron Eldard behind the scope.)

Grade: B-