Review of Cellular (2004) by Nicky N — 02 Apr 2014

The characters in "Cellular" might not be deep, but the story moves quickly and it's ingeniously written. The premise of the film is fairly simple: Jessica (Kim Basinger) has been kidnapped and is locked up in an attic. She has access to a phone, but it's broken so she can't pick and choose the number she's calling. She manages to get a call through and the cell phone that rings belong to Ryan (Chris Evans), an unlikely hero who is understandably skeptical that the danger is real but is persuaded to help her in whatever way he can. As he races through the city trying to alert the police, intercept the kidnappers and stay on the line, he finds himself stuck in a twisty situation that's hard to get out of.

What's ingenious about the movie is that everyone who's ever had a cell phone sees everyday occurrences turn into genuine threats. When the phone call you're listening to is a matter of life and death, forgetting to charge your cellphone, passing through a tunnel or accidentally hitting the wrong button on the menu becomes a serious threat. On top of that, there are the kidnappers, the police and the various obstacles that our protagonists face in the way, meaning the movie just never stops moving. It's really satisfying to see Ryan running around, thinking on his feet and getting out of hairy situations by the skin of his teeth time after time. The one downside with the constant action of the film is that you never really get to know the characters very well. Right from the get-go Jessica is kidnapped so you don't see her day-to-day life and Ryan, while he gets a couple of scenes before he gets involved in the plot spends most of the movie scrambling to help the woman that's calling him. The villains are similar in that sense. You don't see them on the screen often and when they are, they're in and out quickly after threatening of attacking a protagonist.

There are a couple of moments where you'll be wondering if the decision that's being made by the characters really is the smartest one, but that can be forgiven because of the movie's sheer entertainment value. Jason Statham plays the main baddie and he's got a natural menacing look that fits the role perfectly. William H. Macy plays an unlikely cop that gets mixed into the whole thing and the constant cuts between his progression, Jessica's panicked state and Ryan's escapades make the 1hr 35 minute running time seem like nothing at all. There are constantly new obstacles being thrown at the characters, new revelations and you're always wondering what's going to come up next. The middle of the film is where it really shines and this will make you forgive some of the goofier moments and the few silly bits towards the end of the film.

"Cellular" is a smart little thriller that's quite the pleasant surprise. There's some genuine suspense and it's a movie that's aged well. You probably remember this one being released and since then, some of the stars have made it big in Hollywood so if you're a fan of some of the leads or you want a thriller that's not too hard to follow or bogged down by a whole bunch of double crosses and revelations but packs plenty of punches check it out. (On Dvd, July 2, 2013).