Made in 2004, this thriller starring Kim Basinger and William H. Macy utilizes cellphone technology as the device that sets the plot in motion.

 

Basinger plays Jessica Martin, a wife, mother, and teacher living in suburban LA.  No sooner does she return home from dropping her son off at school (if she's a teacher, I don't know why she didn't go right to work after that), then thugs break down the door, kill the housekeeper, and whisk her off to some rundown house and stash her in the attic. The main thug leaves, only to return moments later and smash the attic phone to bits.

 

Using skills she learned somehow, somewhere, she reconnects wires in the phone until she manages to dial the cell phone of a young man named Ryan.  He's on his way to pick up T-shirts so he can get back in the good graces of his former girlfriend. At first, he thinks Jessica's call is a joke, but eventually he gets that she's not making this up. So, he goes to the police station and hands the phone to a desk cop, played by Macy.  Macy manages to write down Jessica's name before getting distracted by a fight.

 

Ryan takes back the cell phone, and proceeds to make it his personal mission to save Jessica and her family.  In the course of the afternoon, Ryan steals a car from a school, breaks just about every traffic law in the book, carjacks a wiseass attorney, holds up a cell phone store (but pays for the charger) and beats up a cop.  It's all way better than just picking up T-shirts to prove to your ex that you've changed.

 

Overall review: ** Held my interest, but generally too far-fetched to be believable.  I'm afraid that, had this been a real-life story, Ryan would have been arrested (or killed) the minute he started driving into opposing traffic on the freeway.  But, you have to give Basinger props for knowing how to rewire a phone!