Cellular (2004)

Directed by David R. Ellis. Starring Chris Evans, Jason Stathom, Kim Basinger, and William H. Macy. USA/Germany, Color, 94 minutes.

When a fast-talking kid (Chris Evans) receives a call on his cell phone from a kidnapped woman (Kim Basinger), he starts on a wild, non-stop adventure to save her life that involves dirty cops (Jason Statham), clean cops (William H. Macy), and 2 stolen cars.

Just a quick one this time . . . Cellular is a teenybopper movie that defies logic and makes giant, obvious stabs at humor while trying to keep a grip on a good story by Larry Cohen. Kim Basinger gives a very wooden performance as a kidnapped woman whose family is in danger - it seems like she did as little as possible to pass for a (old) damsel in distress. The entire thing is predictable and very uneven, especially when Chris Evans is "humorously" breaking the law to save this woman. And there are big, giant, boring lulls in the action, which is a big no-no in the action movie business. And, man, is this movie silly . . .

BUT, despite all these things, the movie is extremely action-packed and it mostly keeps the tension high. All of the performances, besides Basinger's, are above average, and there isn't some huge, stupid twist at the end to mar it any further.

It's a completely mindless ride, and comes off as shoddy when you think about it too much, but it delivers on its promise of action, which should be enough for any casual film fan. I didn't like it, but you might.