Roger Ebert Called Kiefer Sutherland’s Performance “Mesmerizing” in ‘Phone Booth’

Roger Ebert — the first film critic to win the Pulitzer Prize for Criticism — always tried his best to be fair in his reviews. He might have gotten a few things wrong about some movies and dispensed a bit of corrosive advice that some filmmakers took to heart but he could be counted on to give the most accurate assessments throughout his 46-year stint as a columnist for the Chicago Sun-Times. Consequently, he earned the admiration of both fans and fellow critics, including his equally talented critic buddy Gene Siskel, who was ever happy to leave the spotlight to him.

However, Ebert had a particular fondness for certain directors and actors. For example, he adored Martin Scorsese, stating in the book, Scorsese by Ebert: “Scorsese has never disappointed me. He has never made an unworthy film. He also liked actor Robert Mitchum, declaring that “he represented, for me, the impenetrable mystery of the movies.” Well, Kiefer Sutherland was another actor that Ebert rarely criticized. Ebert saw Sutherland’s potential way before he got his big break in 24, and was particularly impressed by the actor’s performance in Joel Schumacher’s Phone Booth.

Kiefer Sutherland Is a Pharisaical Sniper in ‘Phone Booth’

If you are new to Kiefer Sutherland’s work and the general cinema of Joel Schumacher, this mindblowing and restricted urban adventure makes the perfect introduction. We are first introduced to publicist, Stu Shepard (portrayed by a timid-looking Collin Farrell). He is busy toiling in the great New York City, where the rat race culture endures and lucre trumps principles and decency. The hectic and mind-numbing routine of dealing with many people has left him emotionally remote from his wife Kelly (Radha Mitchell), so he is having an affair with one of his clients, Pamela (Katie Holmes).

At Times Square, Stu calls Pamela using a public phone booth, to avoid detection by Kelly (who always scrutinizes the monthly home phone bill), but as soon as he hangs up, the phone rings again. When he answers; the mysterious man at the other end of the line (Kiefer Sutherland) warns him not to leave the booth, or else he will tell Kelly about the affair.

Related

Kiefer Sutherland’s Best Performances, Ranked

Kiefer Sutherland has played some of the most iconic roles on the big and small screens. Here are his best performances, ranked.

We get the hint that the caller is a cauldron of anger who metes out comeuppances to the deserving. He tells Stu that he does this sort of thing all the time, giving immoral people like him the chance to do right and confess, or else he shoots them dead using a sniper rifle. The man adds dread, by informing Stu that he killed the last two people he talked to for refusing to cooperate. He then asks the publicist to come clean to both Kelly and Pam to avoid a similar fate. And to show just how serious he is, he fires bullets with pinpoint accuracy, just outside the phone booth.

After the demonstration, he orders Stu to get started. Tick tock… just like 24. Will Stuart come clean and atone for his manifold misdemeanors? He chafes at the circumstances he has found himself in, but he knows he must comply.

The movie makes it clear from the first minute that Stu is not a good person. He seems irritable at the slightest of offenses and even turns away a pizza delivery guy in the harshest way possible. Even so, it’s hard not to pity him, especially because of how terrifying Kiefer Sutherland sounds at the other end of the line. Stu is likely to lose both women if he comes clean, so will he do it? We thus embark on a fanciful, restive adventure, replete with twists and turns, and set against an everyday vision of New York, where passersby take long to figure out what is happening. You’ll also love the introduction of Forest Whitaker as a police captain who shows up to try and fix the mess.

Roger Ebert Singled Out Kiefer Sutherland’s Voice as the Movie’s Strongest Element

We figure that back in the day, it didn’t matter if most critics hated your movie. If Roger Ebert loved it, you had a reason to celebrate. Luckily, most critics loved Phone Booth, with the Rotten Tomatoes consensus describing it as “a tense nail-biter.” Ebert, on his part, called Kiefer Sutherland’s performance “mesmerizing,” and had plenty of other good things to say.

The first thing you’ll agree with the critic about is his take on the most crucial element: the villain’s voice. In a movie where the villain isn’t shown for most of the running time but keeps talking, you need him to have a strong voice. Thankfully, Kiefer Sutherland delivers.

Related

Donald and Kiefer Sutherland’s Western Is More Subversive than You Remember

In 2015, Donald and Kiefer Sutherland starred together in the quietly subversive Western Forsaken.

In his review, he declares, “If the voice doesn’t work, neither does the movie. Here, it does.” Other villains make you want to see them, but Sutherland’s sniper, with his intimidating voice, makes you wish he’d stay in the shadows forever so that you can get more of the awesomeness. It’s fun watching Sutherland’s character taunt Stu. He talks to him about various issues, including the emerging press, who knows they’ve got the story of the century. But is he compassionate enough to reach a détente with the man he is tormenting? No spoilers here.

Joel Schumacher would never have picked a better actor for the role. And he seems to have adored Sutherland as much as Ebert did. This was the fourth movie from the legendary director that the actor appeared in. He had previously starred in The Lost Boys (the captivating, slice-of-life thriller that marked the beginning of his exceptional body of work), Flatliners, and A Time to Kill, all of which Ebert liked.

‘Phone Booth’ Was Meant To Be an Alfred Hitchcock Movie

Kiefer Sutherland’s fans from 24 will be quick to point out similarities between Phone Booth and the popular Fox TV show. Mainly because the events in both productions happen in real-time, and the stakes keep getting higher. Split screens are also used for some scenes in both projects. However, neither of the two Joels (Joel Surnow and Joel Schumacher) copied each other’s homework. The idea was conceived as far back as the ‘60s by Larry Cohen, who had Alfred Hitchcock in mind as the ideal person to execute it.

According to The Los Angeles Times, Cohen pitched Hitchcock a story that took place in real-time, entirely within a telephone booth. Hitchcock was interested, but as the perfectionist that he was, he struggled to find the most logical explanation for why all the action had to unfold in one location. Cohen, himself, admitted that he, too, couldn’t figure out something that would keep someone in a phone booth for over 90 minutes without it being boring. It was only until 30 years later, in the late 1990s, that it came to him: a sniper.

Related

Why Alfred Hitchcock and Walt Disney Hated Each Other

Walt Disney hated the legendary director Alfred Hitchcock, and one popular film was the reason for the animosity.

Cohen revealed that Mel Gibson, Tom Cruise, Anthony Hopkins, Will Smith, Robin Williams, and Nicolas Cage were all considered for roles, but they weren’t available. Jim Carrey was also offered the role of Stu only to turn it down. As for directors, Steven Spielberg, Michael Bay, and the Hughes brothers were approached. Bay’s name was struck off the list after the first question he asked was, “Okay, how do we get this thing out of the damn telephone booth?” We bet he was also probably thinking, “How do we add some explosions?”

Joel Schumacher was eventually chosen. In turn, he cast one of his favorite actors: Kiefer Sutherland. Principal photography was allegedly completed in 10 days, and given how awesome the movie is, you can’t help but wonder why some directors take months on set. To each, their own style. Today, Schumacher’s gripping morality thriller stands shoulder-to-shoulder with better-known contemporary classics, even if it doesn’t get discussed as much. Kudos to the director for such a daring, wild, and kinetic re-invention of the immortal story. And kudos to Sutherland, whose character deserves a seat inside the lounge of the best villains of the 2000s.