With Ryan Reynolds playing phone tag in the thriller Buried, Matt’s Movie Reviews takes a closer look at some of the most memorable phone conversation scenes in cinema.
Enjoy!
PHONE BOOTH (2002)
With the majority of the film featuring Colin Farrell’s slippery PR trapped in a phone booth by an armed (yet never seen) extortionist, Phone Booth stands tall as a thriller which uses the payphone to its upmost potential, and remains a highlight in director Joel Schumacher’s shaky career.
SCREAM (1996)
The opening scene of Wes Craven’s teen slasher phenom Scream saw Drew Barrymore on the receiving end of a phone conversation that had viewers talking for days, and set the bar for how a menacing voice through a telephone can scare the bejesus out of anyone.
THE DEPARTED (2006)
Never thought texting could result in thrilling cinema? Check out this scene from The Departed, where a stakeout turns into a fuck up of colossal proportions.
JERRY MAGUIRE (1996)
Jerry Maguire saw Tom Cruise’s embattled sport agents trying to woo his only client (Cuba Gooding Jr.) from not jumping a sinking ship, which he does...for a price.
DOG DAY AFTERNOON (1975)
Al Pacino’s brilliant performance as a bisexual bank robber caught in a battle of wills against the police in Dog Day Afternoon features a phone conversation with his two “wives” (Chris Sarandon and Susan Peretz), which is raw in its emotion and exhausting in its execution.
GOODFELLAS (1990)
In Goodfellas, Robert DeNiro hears the news that his best friend was whacked, which results in a fiercely emotional response to a payphone only DeNiro could muster.
DR. STRANGELOVE OR: HOW I LEARNED TO STOP WORRYING AND LOVE THE BOMB (1964)
Ever wanted to know how a telephone conversation between an embarrassed U.S. President and a doomed Soviet President would go down? Look no further, as Peter Sellers’ President informs his Soviet counterpart that a nuke is headed his way.
TROPIC THUNDER (2008)
An unrecognisable Tom Cruise lets loose on a group of Asian terrorists to hilarious results in the Hollywood satire Tropic Thunder. Never has the term “fuck you own face!” been so eloquently used.
MEAN GIRLS (2004)
A 4 way phone conversation between 4 best friends / worst enemies is hilariously portrayed in the high school comedy Mean Girls.
