Cellular – American action thriller movie

Introduction and the cast

The “Cellular” movie, is an American thriller, which was released in the year 2004. It was directed by American director  David R. Ellis.

The movie ‘Cellular’ star cast has actors  Kim Basinger playing Jessica Martin,  Chris Evans as Ryan, Jason Statham as Detective Ethan, and William H. Macy as Officer Mooney. The cellular movie plot goes like this:

The movie begins with the scene of a woman named Jessica Martin, who works as a high school biology teacher, taking her son towards his school bus. After seeing her son off to school, she returns to her home, to finish her chores. Some criminals forcibly enter her home from the back door, smashing its glass, and damaging the alarm with gunfire. They shoot down Jessica’s maid and kidnap her in an attic of a house. The gang’s leader, Ethan, smashes the only available phone there, to prevent her from calling anyone for help.

Perturbed by the sudden turn of events, she tries to piece together the broken telephone, and repair the connection wires, so that she can call someone. Luckily for her, she is successful in getting the connections of the wires right, and the phone is operational. She makes a random call and is able to connect to a person named Ryan, who is a fun-loving but happy-go-lucky guy.

Ryan has been dumped by his girlfriend, as she thinks that Ryan is too much irresponsible, to take any decision. Jessica tells Ryan, that she has been kidnapped by someone, and she needs help. Ryan takes this as a joke and tries to hang up. Jessica persuades him to go to the police, and tell them about her condition.

When Ryan reaches the police station, Officer Mooney directs him to go to the detectives, who are on the fourth floor of the building, as there is some commotion happening there, between some petty criminals. While Ryan is about to go to the fourth floor, he hears Jessica scream on phone, as Ethan is forcing her to reveal the place, where her husband is. When Jessica doesn’t reply satisfactorily, Ethan warns her that he knows that, she has a son named Ricky, and he studies in Wyman school. Jessica yells at him to not touch her son, and that they have some confusion, but Ethan leaves the place.

Ryan understands the seriousness of the situation and heads toward the fourth floor of the building. Jessica is still on the line, but Ryan begins to lose the signal, while he is on the staircase, and going upwards. Jessica’s voice starts to break because of the weak signals, and Ryan thinks to go back, as he can’t afford to break the telephone connection with her.

Jessica tells Ryan in a broken voice, that if he breaks the connection, she is dead. Jessica hears the sound of a car engine starting, and she runs toward the phone, to ask Ryan what time is it. Ryan replies, that it is one thirty, to which Jessica tells Ryan, that her son’s classes are over at 1:45, and he must get to him in Wyman school before the criminals reach him in the school. Ryan rushes towards her son’s school and wonders why they are after Jessica. She tells Ryan that she is a biology teacher, and doesn’t know the kidnappers and their motive. While Ryan is in the midst of traffic, he tries to find his way out of the traffic, by rushing his car to reach Ricky’s school.

Jessica guides Ryan towards the class of her son, which is in the main building and on the left. Ryan runs towards the class. On the way, Ryan asks Jessica about her son’s traits, so that he can get to him. Jessica tells him, that her son’s name is Ricky martin, and is 11 years of age. Ryan goes to class and asks for Ricky Martin, but he is not there. Jessica tells Ryan to go to the administration office, and hand over the phone to her son so that she can talk to her son directly. Just when Ryan is trying to ask the security about the administration office location, the bell of the school rings, and the children come out of the classes. Jessica hears the bell and asks Ryan to hurry up and reach the parent’s pick-up point.

Although Ryan reaches the parent’s pick-up point and is able to recognize the boy, Ricky is dragged into the car, by the kidnappers and taken away. Ryan takes the car of the security officer of the school by force and chases the kidnappers. However, unfortunately, Ryan‘s cell phone battery is dying down, so he needs a charger to recharge the battery. He tries to look in the car to see if he can get any charger but instead finds the gun of the security officer in the car.

Ryan stops by a store, and when he asks for the charger, he is told to wait in the queue, for his turn to buy any stuff. At another counter, he is being told the same thing. Ryan remembers that he has a gun in the car. He fetches the same from the car, and holds the salesperson at gunpoint to get the charger, but pays the money.

At Jessica’s home address, someone receives the message from Jessica’s husband, in which he tells Jessica to meet him along with their son, as something is not right and he can’t explain everything in detail. Here, Ethan tells Jessica that her husband has left a message for her, which is to meet him in left field, and threatens Jessica to reveal the exact place. Ethan tells her to go to the window, and when she has a glimpse outside, she is terrified to see her son there, with another kidnapper. She tries to fight Ethan, but he beats her and threatens to kill her son.

Ethan once again threatens her, and she gives the exact address of the place, which is a bar in LA. After Ethan leaves with his men towards the destination, Jessica tells Ryan that they will kill her entire family, as her entire family has seen their faces, and they will not let them live anymore, after they get her husband. Ryan tries to pacify her, but he too feels helpless.

The police officer Mooney, takes out the address of Jessica from the Department of Motor Vehicles record, to have a look at the complaint, he got in the morning. He decides to visit the address, and when he visits Jessica’s home, a woman claiming to be Jessica, says that everything is fine with her, and she didn’t make any complaint whatsoever, about her kidnapping. Police officer leaves, and she informs her men, about this cop visiting Jessica’s home.

Here Ryan tries to get the information about Jessica’s husband from Jessica, so that he can try to save him. Ryan heads towards the same place, where Ethan and his gang have gone to get Jessica’s husband. While Ryan is still connected with Jessica on the phone, there is a cross-connection between the phone lines. Some lawyer is talking with his mother on his phone, and his voice is cross-connecting. Ryan tries to tell this person about Jessica’s plight, but he doesn’t listen and thinks of it as a joke. Ryan is able to track the person on the road and takes away his phone at gunpoint, as the connection of his own phone has got cut off. But just then a trawler crushes his van, and now Ryan demands the lawyer’s car too, from the lawyer.

After taking the car and the phone from the lawyer, he again heads towards the bar, where Jessica’s husband is. On arriving at the airport, he takes away someone’s boarding pass and sneaks in. He tries to get the kidnappers caught, by placing his gun with their accessories, while they are being checked by the security staff. But when they are apprehended, they reveal that they are cops.

Ryan gets to know, that they are a gang of rouge cops, about which he informs Jessica too. Ryan who keeps looking for Jessica’s husband Craig finds a man matching the description provided by Jessica. But the man is not Craig, and in the meantime, Ethan and his gang are able to find the real Craig and apprehend him. While he is after them, Ryan finds that the lawyer’s car is impounded by the police.

Here, the kidnappers take Craig to his wife Jessica and assemble them both in one room. They force Craig to reveal the location, where some videotape is kept. After threatening Craig that they will kill his wife Jessica, Craig informs them, that the videotape is kept in their safe deposit, at the Centurion bank. Jessica whispers in Craig’s ear, that they will have help at the bank.

Ethan and his two accomplices take him to the location, as they need Craig also to retrieve the tape, while one of his men, stays there to be on guard. Jessica tells Ryan on the phone, that they have taken her husband to the century city, and so Ryan heads towards the same location in a cab.

Here, Officer Mooney sees the news on the television, in which a person claims that a gunman forced them to sell a mobile charger out of turn, and even overpaid for it, as he was in a hurry. In another interview, which is shown on television, a lawyer says to the reporter, that someone was talking on the phone named Jessica, who was supposedly kidnapped, and there was a cross-connection between their call and him. He says that this good-looking guy took away his phone and his car too, claiming that he needs them, to rescue that woman.

Mooney gets suspicious of the incidents and asks for the number of Jessica Martin, from the telephone exchange. When he calls on Jessica’s home number, a voice mail answers his call, but in a different voice, than what he had heard, when he visited her home some time back.

Here, Ryan reaches the bank and finds Ethan entering the bank along with Craig. Craig asks for the keys to the safe, from the bank officer, and Jessica who is still in touch with Ryan on the phone, pleads with him not to let them take the tape with them, otherwise, they will kill them afterward. As soon as the kidnappers get the pouch containing the tape, and are about to leave, Ryan is able to knock one of the kidnappers down. While Ethan catches hold of Craig, Ryan takes away the camera, which is dropped by Craig while falling down. Ryan rushes towards the roof of the building, while Ethan is after him.

Ryan is able to escape from there, but he drops the lawyer’s cell phone on the ground which breaks. When outside on the road, he sees the Quicksilver towing service Van, which reminds him of the officer, who was earlier calling from the same agency while impounding the lawyer’s car. He also remembers that the same car had his own cell phone inside. He boards the cab and directs the driver to follow the toll truck.

While in the car, Ryan checks the camera, which shows the footage Craig had taken of houses, as per his realtor’s job. The footage also contains, Los Angeles Police department’s detectives, Ethan, and his accomplices, along with Tanner, who is also a cop and works with officer Mooney. Tanner is the same person, to whom Ryan was sent by Mooney when Ryan came with the complaint of Jessica’s kidnapping. The footage shows the officers shooting the drug dealers, after taking their money.

Officer Mooney who grows suspicious by now, visits Jessica’s residence to check the facts. When no one opens the door, he sneaks in from the backside and notices the broken glass door, used by Ethan earlier, to barge into the home of Jessica. Ethan’s accomplice, Bayback, shoots at Mooney, injuring him slightly in the neck. The officer also shoots in retaliation, in which Bayback gets killed. Mooney finds that she is a cop, a fact that disturbs him to some extent.

Ryan who gets off at the impound lot finds a chance to steal the car again, as the lawyer is busy with an argument with the lady at the reception, who is asking for the fee for the release of the lawyer’s car. Ryan is relieved to find his cell phone in the car. Here Mooney is visited by Tanner at Jessica’s residence, where Mooney tells him that the real Jessica is in danger, and the lady cop opened fire on him, even after he identifies himself as a cop. Tanner assures Mooney that everything is going to be ok while learning the fact that Mooney is not aware of their plans.

Jessica is trying to restore the telephone connection back which was broken. When Ethan’s gang man who is on guard outside, hears her voice on the telephone, he just punches Jessica, and asks her whom was she calling. The guy threatens to kill her, but Jessica manages to grab a sharp object, and cuts him deep on an important vein on his arm, as she is a biology teacher and knows human anatomy. He bleeds profusely and getting a chance, Jessica rushes outside.

Ethan comes back along with Jessica’s husband Craig and is informed by detective Tenner, that Bayback is shot dead by the police officer. Ethan tells his man to go back to the bank, to get the video and the guy who took away the videotape. Jessica approaches the shed where her son is held captive. She tells her son to stay away from the window, and hide in the corner of the shed. She starts the car, smashes the shed and sets her son free. When she tries to run away from that place, Ethan comes in front of her, taking Craig as a hostage and preventing Jessica from escaping.

Ethan asks Jessica about the kid, who took away their Videotape at the bank. Just then Ryan uses his own cell phone memory to extract the cell number of Ethan. Ryan calls Ethan and asks him to release Jessica’s family in exchange of the videotape. Meanwhile, Ethan reveals everything to Tanner, and Tanner tells Officer Mooney that they have got the kid, who robbed the cell phone store. Mooney tells him that probably, he is the same guy who came to him with the kidnapping complaint. He accompanies Tanner to the spot where Ryan is supposed to meet them as only Mooney can recognize him.  

They all head towards the Santa Monica Pier, which is a busy place. Ryan tries to be in disguise and negotiates with Ethan, but his ex-girlfriend recognizes him and takes the cover off him. Mooney who is also there recognizes Ryan and tries to talk to Ryan. Ryan tries to escape, but Tanner grabs him and alerts Dimitri that he has got the kid. Tanner sends Mooney to the hospital with Dimitri, as Mooney needs medical attention, and himself takes Ryan with him to hand over to Ethan, who snatches the videotape from Ryan and breaks it.

While Mooney is with Dimitri, Mooney overhears Tanner directing Dimitri on the radio transmitter, to take care of Jessica Martins. In the same conversation, Mooney hears another kidnapper Deason who is in the van, suggesting to wait until they can reach the safe house. Mooney realizes that Tanner is too involved in this kidnapping, and all of them are from the same gang. Dimitri tries to take out his gun to kill Mooney, but Mooney overpowers him and neutralizes him by handcuffing him.

Here, one of the friends of Ryan, Chad, calls his name and this allows Ryan enough time to jump into the water. Tanner tracks the footprints of Ryan towards the boathouse, and informs Ethan about this. Mooney also hears this on the radio set, which he has already taken away from Dimitri. Tanner fires on Ryan, but Ryan knocks out Tanner with a surfboat and Tanner is down. Just then Ethan reaches there and beats Ryan after a small fight.

Ethan points a gun at Ryan, but just then, Mooney also reaches there and he too points a gun at Ethan, asking Ethan to leave Ryan. Officer Mooney fires at Ethan, but Ethan runs away and hides somewhere in the boathouse only. After a brief chase, Ryan is wounded in the leg by a bullet from Ethan. Mooney too loses sight of Ryan, but Ryan notices from a distance, that Ethan has come from Mooney’s behind, and is about to shoot Mooney.

Ryan calls on Ethan’s cell phone number, and his cell phone rings loudly, giving the whereabouts of Ethan to Mooney, who shoots him dead. Here, Jessica manages to strangle Deason by her handcuffs, from the rear seat in the van, while Craig and Ricky are also present there.

After taking out the keys from Deason’s pocket, she unlocks the handcuffs of her son and husband.  Deason comes to his senses and points his gun towards them, but Ryan reaches there, smashing him against the car and rendering him unconscious. 

Ryan and Mooney are attended to by the medics, and Cops arrest Tanner who acts innocent. But Ryan had already made a copy of the video cam recording onto his cell phone and thus has saved the evidence against Tanner. Cops take detective Tanner away, and Jessica reaches there with her family, and thanks Ryan for being so helpful.

She wonders how can she repay Ryan, for what he did to her family, and Ryan replies, by not calling him again. Both laugh and Jessica kisses him, and the movie ends there.