Final Call

Dieser Thriller ist auf gar keinen Fall ernst und spannend. Es ist eher ein Spaß mit vielen Klischees und seltsamen Verbindungen. Manche Figuren kopieren ihre Kollegen aus besseren und berühmteren Filmen (Macys Polizist von Duvalls Prendergast aus Falling Down - Ein ganz normaler Tag). Kim Basinger ist nicht besonders gut, Chris Evans wurde nur als schöner Seriendarsteller engagiert. Wenn man diesen Film nicht ernst nehmen wird, wenn man ihn nur als eine schwungvolle 100-minütige Nokia-Werbung sieht, dann ist er unterhaltsam. Man wird sich aber sicherlich nicht mehr als der Produzent Dean Devlin nach der Unterzeichnung des Vertrags amüsieren. (12.10.2004)

The screenwriter of Phone Booth somewhat recycled his previous idea and routineer Ellis directed it. Loads of horrendous clichés, unimpressive acting performances and an unlikeable main protagonist make this picture really boring. Unfortunately not even the typically outstanding Macy or the usually cool Statham don’t have the change to rescue the picture from drowning in waters of mediocrity. An uninteresting picture that comes up with nothing new and even what we have seen a hundred times over is delivered in a form that is even worse than the competition. (15.11.2004)

At the beginning it was a crazy trip. In the introduction I thought that Chris Evans was making fun of me when he deliberately walked around shirtless and tried to seduce Jessica Biel with cheesy pick-up lines. She wasn’t buying it, so I felt like I was going to watch something similar to Beverly Hills 90210. Then we get to see Kim Basinger who has a problem, and at that moment the movie becomes a Nokia commercial. It was probably good at the time but today it’s pretty laughable considering where Nokia is today and what it could do in 2004 according to the movie. I had no idea about many of these functions until watching the movie but okay. Over time, the flick turns into a pretty good action movie with the best the genre has to offer. In the end I was surprisingly satisfied – which is something I didn’t really expect. (20.03.2019)

At first, I was quite scared about what Morgan, the debutant, had prepared for me in the script, because the main abduction happens before I even get a chance to settle down, and right from the beginning it presents an unbearably (and almost unwatchable) hysterical Kim Basinger and Chris Evans, who is trying to win back his ex-girlfriend. In the end, it turns out to be a mixture that alternates excellently built tension with logical lapses and adds a moderately high pile of clichés on top of it all. Fortunately, a likable character gradually emerges from the mess, so I had someone to cheer for, and thanks to Evans in particular, I have the impression of a better-than-average movie in Cellular. (06.06.2006)

Only exceptionally can you find such a textbook example of product placement in the film industry as this little film. However, I must admit that I didn't get bored at all by this excessive advertisement for NOKIA. The advantage of the film is its fast pace and reasonable duration. Although I am sensitive to a derivative screenplay and inconsistencies in the plot, in this case I did not mind these types of flaws. Basinger as the main star attracts attention about as much as my grandmother in her nightgown, but even that is not a hindrance. If you don't have high expectations, the film gives a decent chance for entertainment and represents a light genre above average. Overall impression 65%. (17.05.2007)