The Panic Room Review
by Shannon Patrick Sullivan (shannon AT morgan DOT ucs DOT mun DOT ca)April 4th, 2002
PANIC ROOM (2002) / ***
Directed by David Fincher. Screenplay by David Koepp. Starring Jodie Foster, Kristen Stewart, Forest Whitaker. Running time: 112 minutes. Rated AA for coarse language by the MFCB. Reviewed on April 4th, 2002.
By SHANNON PATRICK SULLIVAN
Synopsis: Newly-divorced Meg Altman (Foster) and her daughter Sarah (Stewart) move into a Manhattan brownstone. The house's previous owner had a panic room installed: a self-contained safe chamber which can be sealed off from the rest of the house. The panic room becomes Meg and Sarah's refuge when three thieves -- Burnham (Whitaker), Junior (Jared Leto) and Raoul (Dwight Yoakam) -- invade their home.
Review: After the haunting "Se7en" and the mind-twisting "The Game", "Panic Room" could be seen as a step down for David Fincher. But only in the sense that, with "Panic Room", you get exactly what you're expecting: a taught, exciting thriller which hits all the usual notes and cues the closing credits right on schedule. With a small cast and limited locale -- almost the entire movie takes place in the Altman brownstone, much of it in the eponymous safe chamber -- the picture could have gotten old fast, but the plot contains enough twists and turns to keep things lively. Fincher also uses a number of interesting camera techniques -- zooming around and through the house in a way you usually only see in cartoons -- to make "Panic Room" more visually inspired than most examples of the genre. Adding to the fun is the trio of splendid bad guys. They are played superbly, with Leto as the hothead, Whitaker as the sympathetic antagonist and Yoakam as the very creepy enforcer. On the side of the angels, Meg is rather bland, but Foster herself has enough presence to make up for this. The film's only oddity is the belated introduction of Meg's ex-husband (Patrick Bauchau), who is used more as a prop than as a character. The lack of any kind of resolution to that storyline feels peculiar. Otherwise, "Panic Room" stands out as solid, adrenaline-pumping fun.
Copyright © 2002 Shannon Patrick Sullivan.
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