Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Mild
- tense
- paranoid
- claustrophobic
- late night thriller viewing
- short suspense double feature
What critics said
Critics broadly found the film to be a tightly acted, increasingly suspenseful confined thriller, while noting that its thin premise and short runtime limit its substance.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Stu Shepard must remain inside a Manhattan phone booth because leaving or hanging up will trigger the sniper's threat.
The Caller dominates the story through Kiefer Sutherland's threatening voice and apparent knowledge of Stu's actions.
The hostage situation unfolds as an intensely compressed, continuous confrontation around the booth.
The Caller weaponizes Stu's lies, infidelity, and manipulative publicist persona during the sniper's psychological game.
Films like Phone Booth, and why
The Guilty
shared psychological thriller structure, real-time pressure, confined setting, and unseen manipulator
Locke
shared single-location suspense, moral confrontation, escalating phone-based threat, and tightly compressed runtime
The Game
shared urban paranoia thriller elements, anonymous threats, and an ordinary person trapped in a deadly public situation
Movie Details
- Director
- Joel Schumacher
- Release Date
- 2003-01-06
- Runtime
- 81 min
- Rating
- 6.9 / 10 (4353)
Cast
- Colin Farrell
- Kiefer Sutherland
- Forest Whitaker
- Radha Mitchell
- Katie Holmes
- Paula Jai Parker
- Arian Ash
- Tia Texada
- John Enos III
- Richard T. Jones
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Phone Booth about?
- A fast-talking New York publicist is trapped in a phone booth by a sniper who turns his lies into a lethal test of nerve and conscience.
- What is Phone Booth like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Phone Booth as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Phone Booth violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Phone Booth as mild.
- What did critics think of Phone Booth?
- Critics broadly found the film to be a tightly acted, increasingly suspenseful confined thriller, while noting that its thin premise and short runtime limit its substance.
- Which films are like Phone Booth?
- Films with a similar feel include The Guilty, Locke, and The Game.
- How long is Phone Booth?
- Phone Booth runs 81 minutes.
- Where can I watch Phone Booth?
- In United States, Phone Booth streams on Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads.
