What is it about movie villains and god-complexes? They're not merely content to cause havoc and pain; they want to educate as well.
The sniper in Phone Booth is yet another example of this. He doesn't want to just kill Stu. He wants to break him down and make him re-examine his life. He's kind of like Dr Phil with a gun. Only he's infinitely more personable than the aforementioned bald-headed ignoramus.
One of the biggest clues that the sniper is supposed to be a god-like character is the way that Kiefer Sutherland's voice-over is mixed. It doesn't sound like it's coming through a phone. Instead it just sounds like a disembodied omnipotent voice. This gives the character a more immediate, more threatening quality and it makes it easier to believe that this is a person who sees everything and hears everything.
Of course, another clue is all the moralising. Stu's a liar (he's a publicist) and he treats people rather badly, so he needs to be taught a lesson. And naturally, in this day and age of arrogant city folk, the only way to bring about change is with a gun. People just wont listen to reason any more. Fear is the only thing that will turn us into a nice, polite honest society. Yep, the sniper certainly thinks he's god.
However, all throughout the film the sniper gives various false reasons for his behaviour his unhappy childhood, Nam, etc. It's a nice little dig at the shallow explanations that are usually provided in such films to justify certain behaviour, but even though he says in the film that he's not religious, he'd make an excellent Christian fundamentalist. He even turns the phone booth into a confessional.
And the confessional scene the one where Stu explains everything to his wife and those around him is a nice little comment on modern society. Before people used to unburden themselves to a priest. Now people do it over phones, in crowded streets or even in the glare of the media. Private life has dwindled and dwindled. Everything is for public consumption. Yet at the same time no one really cares. People walk around talking on their phones completely oblivious to those that surround them. Maybe a gun is the only thing that will wake them up from their self-absorbed stupor.
But I doubt Phone Booth is meant to be taken this seriously. Yeah it's fun reading between the lines but it's really just a snappy little thriller. The real enjoyment is in just seeing what happens. And thankfully, pretty much everything that happens (in movie terms at least) makes sense. After all, in these types of films, you're often asking yourself 'why did he do that?' or 'why didn't he do this?' I mean, you could make a ten minute film where he doesn't pick the phone up. But the fact that he does pick the phone up isn't too hard to believe (I've done it myself). And although one of the questions could be 'why didn't he just hang up the phone?' the writing is smart enough to keep Stu on there for plausible reasons the sniper has lots of personal information.
And once the film is on its way the beginning is rather dodgy, what with some idiot doing an over the top Eminem impersonation and with the snappy but uninteresting publicity stuff it doesn't really put too many feet wrong. The tension is always there and there's a good central conflict between Stu and the sniper.
However, I do have one major reservation: the final image. At the end Kiefer Sutherland is walking through the crime scene with a case that might as well be labelled: 'sniper rifle inside'. Are the police blind? Surely even if they were certain they had their man they might get a little suspicious when a man with a rifle shaped case is inspecting the phone booth. But then again, maybe Kiefer Sutherland really is god. Now that's a scary thought
The sniper in Phone Booth is yet another example of this. He doesn't want to just kill Stu. He wants to break him down and make him re-examine his life. He's kind of like Dr Phil with a gun. Only he's infinitely more personable than the aforementioned bald-headed ignoramus.
One of the biggest clues that the sniper is supposed to be a god-like character is the way that Kiefer Sutherland's voice-over is mixed. It doesn't sound like it's coming through a phone. Instead it just sounds like a disembodied omnipotent voice. This gives the character a more immediate, more threatening quality and it makes it easier to believe that this is a person who sees everything and hears everything.
Of course, another clue is all the moralising. Stu's a liar (he's a publicist) and he treats people rather badly, so he needs to be taught a lesson. And naturally, in this day and age of arrogant city folk, the only way to bring about change is with a gun. People just wont listen to reason any more. Fear is the only thing that will turn us into a nice, polite honest society. Yep, the sniper certainly thinks he's god.
However, all throughout the film the sniper gives various false reasons for his behaviour his unhappy childhood, Nam, etc. It's a nice little dig at the shallow explanations that are usually provided in such films to justify certain behaviour, but even though he says in the film that he's not religious, he'd make an excellent Christian fundamentalist. He even turns the phone booth into a confessional.
And the confessional scene the one where Stu explains everything to his wife and those around him is a nice little comment on modern society. Before people used to unburden themselves to a priest. Now people do it over phones, in crowded streets or even in the glare of the media. Private life has dwindled and dwindled. Everything is for public consumption. Yet at the same time no one really cares. People walk around talking on their phones completely oblivious to those that surround them. Maybe a gun is the only thing that will wake them up from their self-absorbed stupor.
But I doubt Phone Booth is meant to be taken this seriously. Yeah it's fun reading between the lines but it's really just a snappy little thriller. The real enjoyment is in just seeing what happens. And thankfully, pretty much everything that happens (in movie terms at least) makes sense. After all, in these types of films, you're often asking yourself 'why did he do that?' or 'why didn't he do this?' I mean, you could make a ten minute film where he doesn't pick the phone up. But the fact that he does pick the phone up isn't too hard to believe (I've done it myself). And although one of the questions could be 'why didn't he just hang up the phone?' the writing is smart enough to keep Stu on there for plausible reasons the sniper has lots of personal information.
And once the film is on its way the beginning is rather dodgy, what with some idiot doing an over the top Eminem impersonation and with the snappy but uninteresting publicity stuff it doesn't really put too many feet wrong. The tension is always there and there's a good central conflict between Stu and the sniper.
However, I do have one major reservation: the final image. At the end Kiefer Sutherland is walking through the crime scene with a case that might as well be labelled: 'sniper rifle inside'. Are the police blind? Surely even if they were certain they had their man they might get a little suspicious when a man with a rifle shaped case is inspecting the phone booth. But then again, maybe Kiefer Sutherland really is god. Now that's a scary thought