Cellular

A kidnapped woman (Kim Basinger) uses the pieces of a shattered phone to contact a stranger (Chris Evans) and beg him for help—even though he doesn’t know where she is and she doesn’t know why she’s been abducted. Written by Chris Morgan (from a story by Larry Cohen, who wrote the similar Phone Booth) and directed by David R. Ellis, the movie takes a clever (albeit farfetched) B-movie idea and gives it a crackerjack A-movie treatment. The script has just enough complications to be surprising without stretching our credulity too far—though it relies a little too heavily on car chases and stunt crashes—and Ellis’ breathless direction is giddy with suspense and excitement. Evans is excellent as the reluctant hero, and William H. Macy, as usual, is even better as a cop who investigates on his own.