Echelon Conspiracy

When Max Peterson (Shane West) receives a series of mysterious cell phone messages that promise him untold wealth, he soon finds himself the victim of a deadly international plot. Chased by a lethal team of government operatives, Max races across the planet in a desperate attempt to unravel a conspiracy that threatens the stability of the entire world. Edward Burns, Ving Rhames and Martin Sheen co-star in this techno-charged edge-of-your-seat action thriller!
In the taut thriller Cellular, a cell phone saves Kim Basinger's life, but the cell phones in Echelon Conspiracy work more like homing devices for a killer. Security consultant Max Peterson's (ER's Shane West) problems begin when he receives a new one while on assignment in Bangkok. The sender is unknown, but their anonymous text messages prove beneficial to his physical and financial well-being, so Max follows the advice they provide--not a particularly wise move considering that Max's job is to "protect data from hackers" (but there'd be no movie otherwise). When he wins three million euros at an upscale casino in Prague, Max comes to the attention of Reed, the Head of Security (Ed Burns), who reports to business tycoon Mr. Mueller (Jonathan Pryce), and FBI Agent Grant (Ving Rhames), who reports to NSA Director Burke (Martin Sheen). Max also meets the doe-eyed Kamila (Tamara Feldman), who may or may not be part of the conspiracy against him. Together, Reed and Grant try to help Max unmask the player behind a plot to turn the world into a global police state, and speed is of the essence since the previous cell phone recipients have all met their respective makers. Despite the name cast, Greg Marcks's follow-up to 11:14 never hits the same dramatic heights as similarly-themed techno-thrillers like Eagle Eye and the Bourne series, but it's a reasonably diverting entertainment, especially if you like a healthy dose of paranoia mixed in with your gunplay and car chases. --Kathleen C. Fennessy