No offense to Chris Evans, but before the role of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Captain America springboarded him to global superstardom, he was one of just many handsome young actors trying to make a name for themselves in Hollywood.
One of his first major leading roles came in a techno-thriller that’s inevitably become dated in the seventeen years since it was released, but that doesn’t mean Cellular isn’t a concise 94-minute burst of B-movie entertainment. Kim Basinger may take top billing among the cast, but it’s Evans who drives the plot as erstwhile lead Ryan.
Jason Statham’s bad guy Ethan kidnaps Basinger’s schoolteacher and moves her to a remote location, where she finds a damaged cellphone. Desperately using her only connection to the outside world in an effort to track down help, she accidentally dials Evan’s character, forcing him to take matters into his own hands and mount a gung-ho rescue mission.
Cellular doesn’t win top marks for originality or inventiveness, but if you’re looking for an undemanding way to kill an hour and a half, it definitely does the job. Netflix subscribers clearly agree, too, after the unsung genre film crashed straight onto the platform’s most-watched list in seventeenth place as per FlixPatrol, with the combination of Evans and Statham no doubt enticing a few curious viewers.