Colin Farrell stars in this terror-themed
drama. It's well suited for stage, as just about the only location
in the film is (the Masked Reviewer doesn't believe he's giving too much
away here...) a phone booth.Colin Farrell is good in the film.
So are Katie Holmes, Radha Mitchell, and Forest Whitaker...though the
women don't have particularly interesting parts, other than a lot of
worried looks.
There's not too much else to say about the film, without giving
anything away. It was delayed because of real life events, but
it's not close to reality. It will have viewers discussing what
they would do if they were in the same situation, but it's the kind of
situation that isn't likely to happen to most of us. The
discussions can be fun, though, and the movie gets kudos for that.
What are kudos, anyway?
The characters are rather flat, and we never learn anything
interesting about anyone. The bad guy isn't developed at all, and
the good guy, who is supposed to go through a whole metamorphosis of
self discovery, just goes through the motions. The most
interesting character is Forest Whitaker's, and even that is fairly
dull.
This film is very similar to 2002's Liberty Stands Still, with
Wesley Snipes. If you liked one, you'll like the other.
They'd make for a good double-feature.
It's not a very compelling film, but it is quite short. Any
longer and it would become tedious. For what it is, it's okay, but
nothing ground breaking.
Kiefer Sutherland is in the film almost entirely as a voice over.
He's supposed to be on the phone, but his voice isn't altered to sound
like he's on the phone, it's unnaturally loud and clear, like a voice
over. This convention is a bit weird and hard to get used to.
A character on-screen having a conversation with a voice over just
doesn't seem quite right.
The DVD doesn't have anything worthwhile in terms of extras.
The director's commentary is not interesting enough to warrant a second
viewing, and the theatrical trailers aren't anything to get excited
about. You'd think someone would put a little more effort into
extras.
DVD Extra Features: Director commentary and theatrical
trailers.
Expectation from the Title: An unusual take on the Superman
story, told from the perspective of his emergency changing room on the
streets of Metropolis.
Mother's Rule (Always Say Something Good About Everything):
Katie Holmes is as cute as a bug in a rug.
The Pros: It's short, an interesting idea that sparks some fun
discussions.
The Cons: They didn't do much with the idea, it's been done
before, and the characters don't grow.