Review of Cellular (2004) by Sharon S — 22 Jul 2008

From the moment you go through the spy hole this film does not let up, its non stop edge of your seat action.

Jessica Martin (Kim Basinger) is in her kitchen having a chat with the housekeeper when men smash through the back door, kill the housekeeper and kidnap her, she finds herself locked in an old attick room, with a phone hanging on the wall (thats handy), her captor then comes in with a baseball bat and smashes it to smithereens (not so handy) almost taking Jessica's head too.

Meanwhile beach bum Ryan (Chris Evans) is triying to convince his ex-girlfriend Chloe (Jessica Biel) he is a great guy now, she's not convinced but nevertheless lets him help out with the charity day at the beach, so off he goes to pick up T-shirts for the "Heal The Bay! event she's organised.

Jessica is a science teacher and has managed to piece together tiny bits of the shattered phone and sits tapping wires together......Ryan's mobile rings and here it begins.

At first a liitle sceptical at Jessica's story she then asks him to hand his phone to a policeman, but when a riot breaks out and the cop is called away Ryan soon finds himself embriolled in the whole situation, Jessica explains that if they lose the connection she is dead, this brings up various mobile phone problems, like the battery almost running out, signals getting almost lost in stairwells and tunnels and crossed wires onto another phone, all problems which Ryan ends up breaking every rule in the book to solve.

Almost retired cop William H Macy is also on hand as a bit of backup when he realises everything is not as it seems, he adds some nice light relief as he is badgered into opening a health spa with his wife, when its obvious he wants to stay in policing, and Jason Statham has a charmingly scary side as the bad guy, some of his scenes with Kim were adlibbed to make the situation more realistic and particularly a scene involving him putting a belt round her neck is genuinly chilling.

Once Ryan discovers what the kidnappers are after and why, he doesnt know who to trust, they now also have her son and husband and he is there only hope, he soon puts his own neck on the line and offers the kidnappers what they want in return for the safe release of the Martin family.

Some really great twists and turns change a drop out into a hero, while Kim's whinning gets a little annoying she does convince in her role, and Chris Evans fits like a glove in his, he really holds this film together, he is funny and dramatic at the right moments as he deals with the crazy events of the day"I haven't had a clue what I'm doing all day!" he says as he heads into the next disaster. Macy is great as always as is the bloke who Ryan steals the car from adding some great comic relief in a nasty situation as a creep of a lawyer who loves his expensive car.

There are car chases, explosions, edge of your seat action and a great story, a really enjoyable film.