Phone Booth 2003

Phone Booth

Critics Consensus

Quick pacing and Farrell's performance help make Phone Booth a tense nail-biter.

72%

TOMATOMETER

Total Count: 188

64%

Audience Score

User Ratings: 410,738

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Phone Booth Photos

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Movie Info

A phone call can change your life, but for one man it can also end it. Set entirely within and around the confines of a New York City phone booth. "Phone Booth" follows a slick media consultant (Colin Farrell) who is trapped after being told by a caller -- a serial killer with a sniper rifle -- that he'll be shot dead if he hangs up.
  • Rating:
    R (Some Violence|Pervasive Language)
  • Genre:
    mystery and thriller
  • Original Language:
    English
  • Director:
    Joel Schumacher
  • Producer:
    David Zucker, Gil Netter
  • Release Date (Theaters):
     wide
  • Release Date (Streaming):
  • Box Office (Gross USA):
    $$46,563,158
  • Runtime:
  • Production Co:
    Fox 2000 Pictures, Zucker Brothers Productions, MDP Worldwide
  • Sound Mix:
    Dolby SR, DTS, Dolby Stereo, Surround, Dolby A, Dolby Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    Scope (2.35:1)

Cast

Colin Farrell
as Stu Shepard
Kiefer Sutherland
as The Caller
Forest Whitaker
as Capt. Ed Ramey
Radha Mitchell
as Kelly Shepard
Paula Jai Parker
as Felicia
Arian Waring Ash
as Corky
Tia Texada
as Asia
John Enos III
as Leon
Keith Nobbs
as Adam
Richard T. Jones
as Sgt. Cole
Dell Yount
as Pizza Guy
James MacDonald
as Negotiator
Mia Cottet
as Lu Ann
Katie Holmes
as Pamela McFadden
Josh Pais
as Mario
Yorgo Constantine
as ESU Commander
Colin Patrick Lynch
as ESU Technician
Troy M. Gilbert
as ESU Sniper
Richard Paradise
as ESU Guy
Seth William Meier
as Officer McDuff
Svetlana Efremova
as Erica
Troy M. Gilbert
as ESU Sniper
Billy Erb
as Lars
Domenick Lombardozzi
as Wyatt
Maile Flanagan
as Lana
Tom Reynolds
as Richard
Julio Oscar Mechoso
as Hispanic Medic
Karara Muhoro
as Nigerian Vendor
Zidu Chen
as Korean Husband
Dean Cochran
as Reporter No. 1
Amy Kowallis
as Reporter No. 2
Tuan Shu Lan
as Korean Wife
Tory Kittles
as Reporter No. 3
Bruce Roberts
as Reporter No. 4
Tyree Simpson
as Doorman
Dean Tarrolly
as Newscaster No. 1
Paul Fontana
as Dispatcher
Mary Jo Randle
as Dispatcher
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News & Interviews for Phone Booth

Joel Schumacher’s Five Favorite Films
Colin Farrell’s 10 Best Movies
Larry Cohen Plans Remakes of It’s Alive, Black Caesar, and The Stuff
View All

Critic Reviews for Phone Booth

All Critics (188) | Top Critics (39) | Fresh (135) | Rotten (53)

  • Phone Booth is thrilling on many counts...

    April 4, 2018 | Full Review…

    Joe Morgenstern

    Wall Street Journal
    Top Critic

  • Raises more questions than it answers as it attempts to convince us that a moralistic sniper would torture a sleazy publicist into tears of guilt and remorse over what amounts to a few paltry, venial sins.

    May 16, 2003 | Full Review…

    Andrew Sarris

    Observer
    Top Critic

  • If this sounds like a Kafkaesque spoof thrown together for the annual Publicists Guild of America luncheon, Larry Cohen's script is only occasionally that clever.

    April 22, 2003 | Rating: 2/4

    Jack Mathews

    New York Daily News
    Top Critic

  • The premise is admittedly a killer -- fun to think about, fun to see realized, not so fun to see screwed up in the last half-hour.

    April 22, 2003 | Full Review…

    David Edelstein

    Slate
    Top Critic

  • Phone Booth gets under your skin, despite the overload of tricks, twists, technical gimmicks and last-minute surprise that Schumacher employs to quicken the adrenaline and boost the running time.

    April 19, 2003 | Full Review…

    Alexander Walker

    London Evening Standard
    Top Critic

  • A first-tier thriller, Phone Booth will make you think twice before you ever enter a public phone facility again, but while it curls your hair, it makes you think.

    April 15, 2003 | Full Review…

    Rex Reed

    Observer
    Top Critic
View All Critic Reviews (188)

Audience Reviews for Phone Booth

  • Dec 18, 2015
    A film set in a phone booth 99% of the movie shouldn't be as gripping and fast paced as it was, A simple plot and a great performance from Colin Farrell makes this film great fun and quite scary, A fun film that should've got more praise.
    Jamie C Super Reviewer
  • Sep 05, 2015
    "You hear a phone ring and it could be anybody. But a ringing phone has to be answered, doesn't it?" Extremely intense and suspenseful, Phone Booth is a gripping psychological thriller from director Joel Schumacher. When a publicist named Stu Shepard answers a random call while in a phone booth he's taken hostage by a sharpshooter who's intent on forcing him to come clean of the lies he tells. Colin Farrell and Kiefer Sutherland both give excellent performances that are really powerful; particularly Sutherland, who brings a real malevolence and sinister edge to his character. And Schumacher uses an interesting directing style with split screens and picture-in-picture that creates an immersive experience. Incredibly gritty and provocative, Phone Booth is an exciting film that's extraordinarily compelling.
    Dann M Super Reviewer
  • Jan 06, 2013
    Phone Booth is one of Joel Schumacher's finest films and was a brave return from his "Batman & Robin" flop. Colin Farrell and Forest Whitaker were excellent in their roles, the tension was great, and the fast-pace in the movie works very good with this thriller. The movie isn't something to talk about all the time but its a great blockbuster movie and boosts a fantastic villain who is played by Kiefer Sutherland.
    Angel G Super Reviewer
  • Jul 24, 2012
    A suspenseful movie with a clever premise, but also one that ends without much of a pay-off.
    Joey S Super Reviewer
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