‘Cellular’ has a nice ring to it

SUSANNE PEREZ

“Cellular,” the new thriller about a man who receives a call on his

cellphone from a kidnapped woman, is a cut above the typical “lady in

distress” movie.

Based on a story by Larry Cohen (who wrote last year’s intense

“Phone Booth”), it generates suspense and even humor.

But what makes this movie so involving is the performance by Kim

Basinger, her willowy, blond vulnerability used to full effect. She

plays Jessica Martin, a devoted mom suddenly wrenched from her

Brentwood home by armed men and taken to a remote location. We are

kept in the dark as to the motives of these men until halfway through

the film. But it doesn’t matter, because the story has you hooked

within the first five minutes.

True to textbook thriller form, Jessica -- a high school science

teacher -- is one tough cookie. Not only is she able to hook up a

smashed phone and start making calls for help, she can also take out

a couple of bad guys on her own. She convinces 20-year old Ryan

(Chris Evans) to ditch the girlfriend at the beach and help save her

and her family from certain death.

She does all this with hair, makeup and wardrobe intact, except

for a couple of discreetly placed buttons. Our mothers were right,

always wear the good underwear -- you never know when you’ll be an

action movie star.

Ryan finds inventive ways to keep the cellphone connection -- and

Jessica -- alive as he frantically winds his way through Los Angeles.

It turns out he has a real aptitude for stunt driving, carjacking,

holdups and kicking some serious bad-guy butt. Get this kid a movie

contract!

The wonderful William H. Macy, as the aptly named Officer Mooney,

also gets a chance to channel his inner hero and shoots up Santa

Monica Pier like Dirty Harry.

“Cellular” is good fun if you just go with the flow and don’t

think too much about the preposterous situations. Look for Rick

Hoffman in a small but very funny role as the most obnoxious Porsche

owner on the planet.

* SUSANNE PEREZ lives in Costa Mesa and is an executive assistant

for a financial services company.

‘Criminal’ doesn’t

do justice to genre

Well crafted but completely derivative, “Criminal” takes another

stab at the con game variation of the crime-drama genre.

The screenplay steals many elements from other past productions,

including “The Sting,” “The Grifters” and “House of Games.” If you’re

not familiar with these previous efforts, you may find this film much

more intriguing than those of us who have been down this beaten path

before. It’s good work but lacking in any real originality.

Like most movies of this type, it features a con within a con.

John C. Reilly brings a harder edge than usual to his first leading

role as the amoral fraud artist at the heart of the story. He holds

his own in the world of stupid marks, double crosses and nasty

developments that are expected in these stories. Watching him rip off

trusting grandmothers and innocent bystanders early in the story

clearly sets us up to dislike his character in a major way. We are

not disappointed as his well-laid plans get ever more complicated and

dangerous to himself.

With Steven Soderbergh involved in the writing, there are flashes

of his great previous work in films like “Traffic” and “Out of

Sight.” But in the end, these few flashes do not produce a shining

white light. The end result is caper flick that falls somewhere

between the light-hearted con of “The Sting” and the gritty realism

of “The Grifters.” It’s competent film making but operates at a

mundane and recycled level that most of us have seen before.

“Criminal” will be entertaining for some, but ultimately forgettable

for all.

* JOHN DEPKO is a Costa Mesa resident and a senior investigator

for the Orange County public defender’s office.