John wrote:
"For me, the most important change is that it makes it too
easy for someone in danger to call for help. How many times
can writers use the ploy of the cell phone running out of
juice?"
That gimmick -- actually, it was the related being out of
range (in the deserts in Mexico) -- was used quite efectively
in the movie Way of the Gun, becoming something of a running
joke. But, yes, I could see the idea getting run into the
ground.
The other cliche in the making (already made?) is the person
in hiding whose phone rings and reveals where they are.
However, as with anything else, I think it depends upon the
writer's skill. The first time I remember seeing cell phones
used extensvely was in the movie Trespass, allowing the drug
dealers to communicate with each other while combing the
abandoned building for witnesses. Walter Hill used it very
effecively to heighten suspense.
GM Ford also used cell phones, and tons of other surveillance
equipment, well in The Deader the Better, allowing the
various confederates to communicate (and harrass the targets)
while exposing a dirty town scam. Of course, there is one
dead spot, but it was not overused, just planted for one
later use.
Mark
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