The Panic Room Review
by John Sylva (DeWyNGaLe AT aol DOT com)June 18th, 2002
PANIC ROOM (2002)
Reviewed by John Sylva
In David Fincher's Panic Room, mother and daughter Meg and Sarah Altman, played by Jodie Foster and Kristen Stewart, find themselves locked in the claustrophobic safe–"panic"–room of their lavish New York apartment with no means of escape or outside communication after a trio of robbers (Jared Leto, Forest Whitaker, and Dwight Yoakam) enter in search of a pretty hefty fortune. It's a nifty setup that could have really gone places–even without really doing so–but the usually bold and innovative Fincher becomes so caught up in his signature nifty camera work that he forgets to bring any vitality to the proceedings, making his Panic Room the ultimate case of a film's central set-piece being wholly representative of the film.
Its much-praised opening title sequence–which is taken almost directly from 2001's Thirteen Ghosts and probably several films before that–gives way to the overly simplistic story, in which Meg and Sarah go apartment hunting after Meg's husband has left the family for a younger woman (voiced by Nicole Kidman, who was originally slated for Foster's role, but couldn't fulfill the duty after a knee injury). So, naturally, they pick the spookiest, most Hollywood-ready apartment in all of the Big Apple, with flights of stairs aplenty, just waiting for the inevitable slips and spills.
As shown before, particularly with Fight Club, Fincher is a very visual director, which is an obvious advantage for a film such as Panic Room. Like the majority of haunted house pictures, the apartment becomes a character itself as a result of Fincher's stunning tracking shots and original if overused zoom shots. The film's cold, steely look should also be attributed to cinematographers Conrad W. Hall and Darius Khondji as it is the film's source of much-needed atmosphere that screenwriter David Koepp fails to create through the one-note plot.
As the film progresses, it becomes apparent Koepp wasn't sure quite what to do with the crooks seeking Foster's fortune. The three stooges stand about at times saying absolutely nothing, and hurl insult after insult and eventually weapon after weapon amongst themselves at others, bringing about damaging results: Is the viewer supposed to laugh? Feel bad for the one(s) getting dumped on? Cheer? Question whether they're even "bad guys" to begin with? Whatever effect screenwriter Koepp was going for, the only reaction he evoked within myself was a long, hard sigh of impatience. These characters don't serve as symbols of morality or lack thereof, they're just simply there.
Kudos to Foster, who manages to add a bit of flavor to Panic Room. The nuances of her performance add just enough coverup for the rather flimsy character Koepp's provided for her to make us care (again) just enough about Meg that she and diabetes-stricken Sarah make it out alive.
It's quite possible Fincher was going for a Hitchcockian suspenser with Panic Room, but the film is far too one-dimensional for said status. Its only subtext involves the mother/daughter relationship between the two leads, and even that falls into the shallow territories of artifice. Not a misfire of major proportions by any means, but one can only hope Fincher doesn't lose his way after making such a name for himself in the business.
GRADE: C+
Film reviewed June 17th, 2002.
Originally posted in the rec.arts.movies.reviews newsgroup. Copyright belongs to original author unless otherwise stated. We take no responsibilities nor do we endorse the contents of this review.
