Cellular

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I recently went to the movies, and the feature I wanted to see was sold out so I decided to catch a movie that my future son-in-law had told me about, titled Cellular. It didn’t take long to figure out I was going to enjoy this movie. Larry Cohen, who had also written a similar movie titled Phone Booth, wrote this one as well. Cohen again brings us a white-knuckle, deep-breathing thriller that is not only filled with action, it is filled with life lessons.

While there are similarities, there are enough differences to allow the two movies to stand on their own, with their own themes and characters. The main similarity between the two is that a person picks up a phone call from someone he doesn’t know. Both characters who receive those calls represent all of us, the viewers, and we identify with the challenges that the characters face.

In Cellular, Chris Evans plays the character of Ryan, a kind of conceited, self-centered individual who cares more about the next girl he is going to pick up than he does about the world around him. His primary objective is himself. That quickly changes though, as he receives a call on his cell phone while running an errand to impress his current love interest. On the other end of the line is Jessica Martin, played by Kim Basinger. Maritn has been kidnapped by Greer, played by one of my favorite actors, Jason Statham from The Transporter. We don’t know exactly why she has been kidnapped, but we know that Greer means business. He has already beaten her, and killed another individual. Once she is alone, Martin decides to try and wire together a phone that has been blasted with a baseball bat by Greer, and while touching phone wires she connects with Ryan. He doubts the call and is about to hang up when Greer walks in on Martin and proceeds to slap and threaten her. She manages to hide the phone just as Greer walks in, and keeps Ryan on the line. It is then that he realizes that everything about his day, everything about his life, has just changed. The progression of seeing his character change as a result is a reaffirming lesson in human ability.

After the above events, Ryan decides to seek help from the police. It is then that soon-to-be-retiring police officer Mooney, played by brilliant character actor William H. Macy, enters the story. Through a series of events and challenges in his own life, he is drawn into the story as well. Mooney has some growing to do and some life lessons to learn. He is another one that we see change over the course of the movie. Each of these characters are dependent on each other. Much like the analogy of a family, even though one member of the family may not know the other, there are times that help is needed. In those situations, it is not as important to be close as it is to be willing, that is, willing to help and care for those we come into contact with.

Cohen does a brilliant job of character development. By the end of the story, we have these four characters, plus several others, that we know enough about to care. Cohen’s ability to draw the audience in to the characters is one of his strengths as a writer. As the story progresses we find ourselves not only caring about the individuals involved, but we find ourselves asking questions like “What if?” What if one of us were actually involved in the story? What would we do? The challenge of answering those questions is one of the things that makes this movie worthwhile.

Cohen has another strong ability that I appreciate, that is not only telling a character-driven story, but also telling that story with action, comedy and a fast pace. Boredom is never a problem for the audience watching his movies, and it was certainly something that never entered my mind in this story. As a part of this tribute, recognition also has to be given to Screenwriter Chris Morgan and Director David R. Ellis. This team of filmmakers has taken the lessons from Phone Booth and applied them not just to the story, but to the making of this movie.

As mentioned above, Cellular is filled with challenges to the audience. What role will we play in helping those around us? What sacrifices are we willing to make? Do we realize that our inaction has life-threatening consequences? While Cellular uses a kidnapping to address such issues, those decisions are decisions we make everyday, whether they be physical or spiritual. The theme of “we can all make a difference,” as portrayed in such movies as It’s a Wonderful Life, is just as relevant today as it was 50 years ago.

The reality that each individual can make a difference is a theme that we all need to hear and act on. Sometimes the chances that we turn away from have consequences for those that we don’t even know. Fortunately, those very people can become real to us if we act on what we know, that is: when given the opportunity, we should help. It might be something simple, like opening the door for someone we don’t know, or returning a lost wallet, but the truth is that our actions affect others. Cellular takes that concept to the extreme but the lessons can be applied on a much simpler level.

I enjoyed everything about this movie, it was thought-provoking, fast-paced, and loads of fun with positive life reflections and challenges. I have been sold: if there is another similar themed movie by Cohen, I won’t wait until the 4th or 5th week of release to see it. I’ll be there right off the bat because so far, for me, he is batting a thousand on this formula.

On a scale of 1-10, for the number of digits in a phone number plus an extra one for Larry Cohen, I’ll give it an affirming 8.

Links
—Overview
—Trailers, Photos
—About this Film
—Spiritual Connections

Suspect Zero

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—Overview
—Trailers, Photos
—Spiritual Connections

Some movies seem to split the moviegoing audience as wide apart as the election process in America. You either love ‘em or you hate ‘em, and it seems as if there is no in-between. The recent release -- Suspect Zero -- is just such a movie. For some strange reason, many within the moviegoing audience have found a niche in “serial killer” themes. The success of the Silence of the Lambs Trilogy with Silence of the Lambs, Hannibal, and Red Dragon, (preceded by Manhunter), along with such films as Seven, has helped give credibility to the genre. Suspect Zero falls into the recent serial killer format, but with its own distinctive twist.

This review is hard to write without using some spoilers. Thankfully, the trailers in theaters have given away the premise already, and most who interested in this movie will already know what the themes are. On the surface, what we have is a movie about a serial killer who is killing other serial killers. You can’t give too much away there except to say that the character played by Academy Award winner Ben Kingsley, Benjamin O’Ryan, is on a mission from God. He has been called to execute the vengeance of God, and the great question we have as a viewer throughout the movie is whether he really might be on a quest from God or if he is a schizophrenic with delusions. Aaron Eckhart plays convincingly the part of FBI Profiler and Investigator, Thomas Mackelway -- a troubled individual having conflict between right and wrong, love and hate, throughout the movie. In this character, we see someone struggling with the gifts and talents that God is giving, someone struggling with the decision to follow the call or give in to the temptations around him.

Mackelway is on the trail of O’Ryan and is quickly drawn into the investigation by visions and premonitions. As a result, he develops some unorthodox perspectives on the case he is investigating. Meanwhile, he is having a difficult time convincing his former love interest and partner, Fran Kulok, played by Carrie-Anne Moss (Trinity from the Matrix series) as to the truth behind his theories. He also has a difficult time convincing his supervisor and co-workers of his theory, and thus becomes somewhat of a lone ranger. Despite the criticism, he knows his own convictions, and while he cannot explain what is going on, he is driven by a force that he knows comes from some place other than his own mind.

We see the struggle of following one's own heart, even at a cost, no better than in the character of O’Ryan played by Kingsley. In many ways, the character is a Messiah figure. He is able to see events around him through space and time, and he has a passion for the innocent while at the same time understanding the need to destroy the wicked and evil. His primary desire is to show love to the innocent and protect them from the evil that surrounds them. I will say here that the color schemes in the movie are used quite effectively: Black represents evil, and there is enough imagery to portray this; but among other color schemes is the significance of the shedding of blood shown through the use of the reds.

We also see that some people will, for an eternity, be able to see the wrongs they have done. We get a glimpse of the ultimate love of the O’Ryan character, complete with a sacrifice theme and the foretelling of that event. And we see a concept generally accepted within Christianity -- the indwelling of the Holy Spirit (after Jesus left he sent the Holy Spirit to dwell within believers and gave them the same power that he had when he was on earth).

Throughout the movie are images of Jesus, crosses, and Mary the Mother of Jesus. Surprisingly, those images are portrayed in a respectful and even reverent way. In one beautiful scene, that had some significance to me, O’Ryan is following a killer that has abducted a child in Wichita Kansas (the town I happen to live in). O’Ryan decides to attend an African American Church there, and the choir is singing a song about Jesus. While seeing the image of the crucifixion in the stained glass windows of the church and reflecting on the words of the song -- and specifically the person of Jesus Christ -- we see that O’Ryan is moved to tears.

From a technical perspective, I believe the direction by E. Elias Merhige and the writing by Zak Penn is nothing short of brilliant. In many ways this is an art film. It could be used for film students, to demonstrate for them the importance of story and the potential of using various visual effects to enhance that story. The story itself reminds me tremendously of Flannery O’Conner, the brilliant Christian writer who used allegory in the telling of many of her stories, all having a dark side, yet all with a Gospel message. I don’t know what the conscious intent of Penn or Merhige was in incorporating of Christian spiritual concepts in this story, but they are ample and obvious.

From the editing, to the musical score -- a brilliant one that reminded me at times of the original score from Night of the Living Dead -- this film is almost perfect. Kingsley is as brilliant as ever and I would not be surprised to see him considered once again, come time for Oscar nominations. It is truly some of his best work in a long time and I thoroughly enjoyed it. There are numerous themes and concepts that could be touched on from this movie, specifically related to the comparisons of story elements with spiritual truths. For that reason, it is a movie that I will personally want to see more than once.

Now, back to my "love it or hate it" comment in the first paragraph: I went to see this movie with my family, including my wife and my daughter and future son-in-law, both of whom are film majors and graduate students. My daughter’s fiancé, Brett, and I both loved the movie. But my wife and my daughter both hated it. I don’t know if, universally, guys will like it more, or what, but I did find the obvious split in my family unusual. This is a movie that from a lot of the early feedback, people either love or hate, so I would expect there to be a number of readers of this review who would fall into both categories.

It is however a movie that I believe, within the genre, stands on it’s own. Moreover, for a formula that has been beaten to death in some ways (pun intended), it is in itself unique, and that makes the movie worth seeing. The technical components themselves are also worthy for the fan of the art film, or of film in general. If you are looking only for a fun evening, I wouldn’t recommend Suspect Zero, but if you are looking for a thought-provoking experience, the opportunity to experience wonderful film making and innovative story telling, this film is as close to a masterpiece as I have seen in some time for this format.

In closing, I don’t know why it is, but I often get an extreme amount of criticism about reviews of this style of movie or of any in the horror genre. The truth is that, as author Ted Dekker points out: “To paint evil with anything less than the darkest of brushes is not an honest portrayal of evil.” I firmly believe that to truly enjoy the good things of life, we must have a glimpse of the darkness of evil. That doesn’t mean that we have to subject ourselves to it all of the time. The reminders though, as portrayed in Suspect Zero, that there are consequences to pay for evil actions and that God ultimately will punish every form of evil are excellent reminders for all of us. I personally enjoy those reminders, and believe that movies like this provide excellent opportunities for discussion regarding spiritual themes. It is for that reason, that I am recommending seeing Suspect Zero.

On a scale of 1 – 10, for a thought-provoking and troubling good time, a delightful 8.

Links
—Overview
—Trailers, Photos
—Spiritual Connections