Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #14015 in DVD
• Released on: 2005-02-07
• Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
• Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Formats: PAL, Widescreen
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 95 minutes

Synopsis
The very definition of a taut thriller, this suspense yarn scripted by Larry Cohen (PHONE BOOTH) aims straight for the adrenaline glands and never lets go. A lazy beach bum named Ryan (Chris Evans) finds himself getting focused in a real hurry when he receives a random cell phone call from kidnapped biology teacher (Kim Basinger). She's locked in an attic with a room full of killers below, and has only managed to contact him via crossing loose wires on a smashed phone; if they lose the connection, she may never get another one, and the kidnappers are going after her child next. What follows is a nonstop race all over Los Angeles as Ryan deals with connection-threatening problems like tunnels, low batteries, and crossed signals. William H. Macy is great as the weary cop who doggedly senses something's amiss, and British actor Jason Statham (SNATCH) is a really scary kidnapper with a convincing American accent. Hitchcock would likely smile in approval of director David R. Ellis borrowing many of his suspense building tricks, as it's all in the service of keeping the anxiety jacked up to maximum. This is fine b-movie entertainment, with believable, intelligent characters, no GGI effects, and everything happening in (almost) real time. Highlights include a cell phone store visit and Eddie Driscoll as an obnoxious lawyer. Basinger is amazing, as usual, in a difficult role.

Customer Reviews

Hope he had the 1000-minute calling plan
I've yet to succumb to the temptation to own a cell phone. CELLULAR has me thinking that perhaps life is passing me by.

Jessica Martin (Kim Bassinger) lives the good life in the SoCal suburb of Brentwood - you know, where OJ lived - with her realtor husband Craig (Richard Burgi) and 11-year old son Ricky (Adam Taylor Gordon). One day, after waving Ricky off on the school bus, Jessica's home is invaded by three thugs led by Greer (Jason Statham). After shooting the housekeeper - perhaps one of the shortest bit parts in history, the intruders carry Martin off to a house in the hills (with a million $ view of the San Fernando Valley), where she's locked in the attic with a smashed phone until Craig hands over an item about which she knows nothing. Being a high school science teacher, Jessica coaxes the phone back to life and dials out by touching two wires together. Calling blindly, she manages to reach the young and irresponsible Ryan (Chris Evans) cruising the coast down by Venice Beach. After much tearful pleading, Martin convinces Ryan that her plight is real, and this launches the latter off on a day-long odyssey of chases and violence as he tries to rescue Jessica and her soon-to-be-abducted son, all the while maintaining that tenuous phone connection to the near-hysterical woman. Obviously, Ryan has never heard the old adage, "No good deed goes unpunished."

CELLULAR has everything necessary for a vicarious, nail-biting thrill ride at the movies. There's the truly vicious villain (Greer), the gorgeous damsel in distress (Jessica), and the completely engaging knight-errant (Ryan), all perfectly played by their respective actors in an ingenious plot. Then there's the delicious supporting role of William H. Macy as Mooney, the police desk sergeant who reluctantly gets involved in the mayhem when all he really wants is to retire and run a day spa with his girlfriend. And to top it off, the film's creators bedevil Ryan with those little daily annoyances that the viewers will personally know so well: a patronizing sales clerk, having to "take a number" in a crowded store, an obnoxious lawyer, bad cellular reception in tunnels and stairwells, an officious security guard, a driver in the next car playing the stereo too loud, slowpokes in the fast lane, and street delays caused by inopportune construction.

CELLULAR isn't one of the year's greatest cinematic achievements, but, for pure entertainment value and fun, it rates 5 stars if you're not too discriminating and willing to overlook a few credibility gaps. I mean, you can't actually park your car curbside in front of the terminal at LAX.

Finally, Jessica's knowledge of human anatomy, when combined with a sharp object, gives fair warning that you probably don't want to p.o. your high school science teacher.

Got better as I watched it
I was unsure about this film when I started watching it. Granted, it gets into the action within minutes of starting but I didn't believe it was Kim Basinger at the start because of her crocodile tears and acting. That has to be down to the director. However, as I watched it, I started to enjoy it more and more. I found it kept me on the edge of my seat and I like it when you can see the bad guys are going to get their just rewards. The plot was a bit far fetched, but who cares! I also found it good to see an 'action' film putting more effort into supplying a little humour as opposed to gratutious violence. This is born out by the fact that Jessica is never once hit in the whole film, just thrown about a bit, but I thought her early acting deserved at least one good slap ;-) I'd recommended it to anyone wanting to put their feet up for an evening with a bottle wine.

Hope he had the 1000-minute calling plan
I've yet to succumb to the temptation to own a cell phone. CELLULAR has me thinking that perhaps life is passing me by.

Jessica Martin (Kim Bassinger) lives the good life in the SoCal suburb of Brentwood - you know, where OJ lived - with her realtor husband Craig (Richard Burgi) and 11-year old son Ricky (Adam Taylor Gordon). One day, after waving Ricky off on the school bus, Jessica's home is invaded by three thugs led by Greer (Jason Statham). After shooting the housekeeper - perhaps one of the shortest bit parts in history, the intruders carry Martin off to a house in the hills (with a million $ view of the San Fernando Valley), where she's locked in the attic with a smashed phone until Craig hands over an item about which she knows nothing. Being a high school science teacher, Jessica coaxes the phone back to life and dials out by touching two wires together. Calling blindly, she manages to reach the young and irresponsible Ryan (Chris Evans) cruising the coast down by Venice Beach. After much tearful pleading, Martin convinces Ryan that her plight is real, and this launches the latter off on a day-long odyssey of chases and violence as he tries to rescue Jessica and her soon-to-be-abducted son, all the while maintaining that tenuous phone connection to the near-hysterical woman. Obviously, Ryan has never heard the old adage, "No good deed goes unpunished."

CELLULAR has everything necessary for a vicarious, nail-biting thrill ride at the movies. There's the truly vicious villain (Greer), the gorgeous damsel in distress (Jessica), and the completely engaging knight-errant (Ryan), all perfectly played by their respective actors in an ingenious plot. Then there's the delicious supporting role of William H. Macy as Mooney, the police desk sergeant who reluctantly gets involved in the mayhem when all he really wants is to retire and run a day spa with his girlfriend. And to top it off, the film's creators bedevil Ryan with those little daily annoyances that the viewers will personally know so well: a patronizing sales clerk, having to "take a number" in a crowded store, an obnoxious lawyer, bad cellular reception in tunnels and stairwells, an officious security guard, a driver in the next car playing the stereo too loud, slowpokes in the fast lane, and street delays caused by inopportune construction.

CELLULAR isn't one of the year's great cinematic achievements, but, for pure entertainment value and fun, it rates 5 stars if you're not too discriminating and willing to overlook a few credibility gaps. I mean, you can't actually park your car curbside in front of the terminal at LAX.

Finally, Jessica's knowledge of human anatomy, when combined with a sharp object, gives fair warning that you probably don't want to p.o. your high school science teacher.