PHONE BOOTH

PHONE BOOTH is a remarkably effective thriller. Set almost entirely around one phone booth, it holds your attention through high tension, sharp performances and a relentlessly unusual standoff. Colin Farrell gives an excellent performance as Stu Shepard, a professional spin-doctor whose lies have made him a thoroughly detestable man.

The film’s moral center is clearer than its content profile. Stu is forced to face his deception, confess his sins and reconsider his marriage. Truth, repentance and marital fidelity ultimately matter. But the movie surrounds those themes with an ongoing barrage of foul language, bloody violence and mature material.

A mature viewer who can handle those elements may find the suspense and acting worth the investment. For a family movie night, however, choose something else. The practical answer: WORTH THE TRIP — ADULTS ONLY.

Stu Shepard, a public-relations man who lies for a living, stops at one of New York City’s few remaining phone booths. When the phone rings after his call, a stranger on the other end begins controlling his life with threats backed by a high-powered rifle.

Soon Stu is trapped in a very public standoff, surrounded by police, media and people from his own life. His verbal skills may help him professionally, but they cannot easily save him here.

Four stars means PHONE BOOTH succeeds exceptionally well at what it sets out to do. Director Joel Schumacher holds the viewer’s interest at a single location for more than 80 minutes, turning one phone booth into the center of a high-tension thriller.

Colin Farrell does an excellent job portraying Stu’s shifting anger and fear, while Forest Whitaker gives a credible performance as the police captain managing the unusual standoff. The film is a real nail-biter and delivers as promoted. Its strong suspense and acting are powerful enough to earn the top entertainment rating, even though the language and violence limit its audience.

PHONE BOOTH presents a light Romantic worldview, with moral decisions shaped by relativism, emotion and sudden impulses. Stu is a man who lies professionally and considers cheating on his wife. The film rebukes that deception, however, and gives him an opportunity to confess his sins, recognize the error of his ways and promise to change.

The sniper claims Stu is guilty of “inhumanity to man” and “the sin of spin,” but the source review notes that the sniper is not religious. The film therefore treats moral accountability seriously without grounding that accountability clearly in God. Its redemptive elements point toward truth, repentance, self-sacrifice and marital fidelity, especially as Stu makes peace with his wife.

The film’s central longing is for a dishonest man to be stripped of his falsehood and restored to truth. Scripture says, “you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32).

PHONE BOOTH delivers superb suspense and excellent acting, but its strong language, violence and mature themes make it unsuitable for children and young teens. Mature adults who can handle those elements may find it worth seeing. Our verdict is WORTH THE TRIP — ADULTS ONLY. For a family-friendly alternative, see.