Cellular

               “If the signal dies so does she.” With the tagline of the 2004 thriller, action, drama and crime film, Cellular, which runs for one hour and thirty-four minutes, avid fanatics of thriller/suspense films, would easily grasp what the film is all about.  The film which was released on the 10^th of September 2004, is all about Jessica Martin (Kim Basinger), a middle-aged woman who is a high school Biology teacher, a mother of one kid named, Ricky Martin (Adam Taylot Gordon) and a wife to Craig Martin (Richard Burgi) who works in a real state. The film started as Jessica Martin dropped off his son, Ricky Martin just nearby from their Brentwood mansion to his son’s school bus. As Jessica Martin went back to her mansion, a gang with their leader, Ethan Greer (Jason Statham) who was able to enter the Martin’s residence by smashing the house’s backdoor window, unexpectedly kidnapped her. As Jessica Martin was thrown inside a van, she was placed in an attic of a house with no idea in mind where she is particularly. As Jessica was shivering due to the intense fear brought by the gruesome situation which transformed her ‘normal’ life before into a desolate one, luckily, she found a telephone but not totally usable because it is a bit broken and the wires on it were already worn out. Nonetheless, as a Science teacher, she was able to fix the broken wires on the telephone and she was able to dial a random number fortunately. As she pressed numbers on the telephone, she was able to call a young man who is just hanging out with friends and doing nothing in a beach named Ryan (Chris Evans). As Ryan answered the call from his mobile, Jessica, who was still shook and traumatized, talked to Ryan instantly as she hears Ryan’s voice and she asked for help. She told Ryan that she was kidnapped and that she barely needs his help and that help is by going to the police. At first, Ryan did not believe Jessica thinking that she is just fooling him. Nevertheless, as Ryan hears Jessica and her abductors who kidnapped her from their mansion, that is the time wherein Ryan started to believe Jessica. As they talk over the phone, Jessica told Ryan to go to his son’s school because the kidnappers would also get her son. As Ryan went to the school, Jessica dictates what her son looks like, what he wears, what his bag looks like. As Ryan saw the kid with The Lord of the Rings backpack, the kid was already captivated by the kidnappers. As Ryan reported to Jessica what happened, she warned Ryan that her family is really in so much danger because her abductors are now planning to get his husband, Craig who is boarding in LAX anytime. Jessica’s abductors are targeting Craig’s financial properties knowing that he is working in a real state plus the fact that their family is affluent. Ryan did not get Craig too. Jessica felt so helpless. As Jessica saw her son and her husband, she made a way to escape their abductors and they rode in an SUV. The film ended as the police officer Mooney helped Ryan to rescue Jessica and her family. Mooney together with Ryan, they killed Ethan Greer. As the film ended, finally, Jessica met Ryan and maybe for a consolation, she asked Ryan, “Is there anything I could ever do?” Ryan replied, “Jessica, don’t ever call me again.”

When it comes to the directing of David R. Ellis, the film was well directed. The director has justified the genre of the film. The film was indeed full of thrill like what the thrill-seeker spectators of the movie are up to. However, there are some notable mistakes in the film that are under the responsibilities of a Director that are also worth mentioning for the betterment of the film. As I watched the film to review and criticize some mistakes committed and as I conducted a thorough scrutiny of the mistakes of the film via the internet, I found out numerous mistakes. One of which is when Ryan is waiting for Ethan Greer (Jason Statham) to call him back, the ringtone heard is monophonic. The type of phone Ryan has plays polyphonic ringtones only. In addition, another mistake that can be seen in the film is when Ethan and Ryan fought in the boat shed. You can see that one of Ethan's hits does not go even nearby Ryan's face and still he falls! Another, in the film, Ryan is supposed to be going to LAX, but when he enters the airport, you can see that it is not in LAX. 

Moreover, talking about the cinematography of the film or the art of motion picture photography, the shooting of the film accompanied by the apparatuses utilized, were great. The cinematographer of the film, Gary Capo, used different shots and film techniques.  

Furthermore, when it comes to the acting of the actors like Kim Basinger, Jessica Martin in the film, she has portrayed her role in the natural way she could. Like the scenes when she was trying to fix the telephone and when she was trying to call Ryan via the phone. Fantasy it is, but Kim Basinger has acted the way that it would look more realistic in the eyes of the audience. Additionally, Jason Statham was also great when it comes to his acting in the film. He has showed and proved to us that he is not just good when he is the protagonist of a film, but also even when he is portraying an antagonist role he can still act the outstanding and distinguished way he acts similarly with his protagonist roles before. More than that, looking at the screenplay of the film, the script was well written by the screenwriters, Chris Morgan and Larry Cohen. One part of the lines of the actors that I did like the most is when Ryan told Jessica not to call him ever again; sounds sarcastic and funny at the same time.

Filtering the film with the use of theory, this film falls under Structuralist Film Theory. In the film, there are various shots and angles used in the film used to show and convey meaning to the audience to what will happen next. In the film, the type of shot used when Jessica Martin was kidnapped was different with the type of shot/angle used when his son was in school being kidnapped also by the abductors that conveys to the audience that her son would also be kidnapped next after her. The type of shot used in the scene of Jessica Martin’s son, conveys to the audience what will happen next and that would be his son will also be captivated. As we all know, in Structuralist Film Theory, it emphasizes how films convey meaning through the use of codes or symbols. Lighting, angle, shot duration and all other elements are also part of the ‘codes and conventions’ the Structuralist Film Theory is talking about. 

(c) Judd V. Bantug