The Panic Room Review
by Richard A. Zwelling (razwee AT yahoo DOT com)March 3rd, 2003
PANIC ROOM
*** ½ (out of ****)
a film review by
Richard A. Zwelling
The idea behind Panic Room is simple enough. Meg Altman (Jodie Foster) and her daughter Sarah (Kristen Stewart) have recently moved into a spacious house in Manhattan after Meg divorces her millionaire husband (Patrick Bauchau). On their first night living in the new house, Meg and her daughter are intruded upon by Junior (Jared Leto), Burnham (Forest Whitaker), and Raoul (Dwight Yoakam), three thieves attempting to locate something of value inside the house.
The twist? This thing of value is located in a special room in the house called a "panic room". It is enclosed by four walls of impregnable steel, has its own phone line and security system, and enables residents to stay safe and contact help while the criminals remain outside. After the thieves break in the house, we are thrown into a game of cat-and-mouse with Meg and her daughter trying to escape, and the thieves trying to keep them in the house while they form a plan to claim their prize...and the panic room is always a factor.
This sounds like a premise that could make for atrocious plot development, second-rate acting, and more laughs than thrills. Thankfully, the director is David Fincher, who has already given us Seven and Fight Club, two superiorly directed motion pictures in which style plays a leading role in communicating the narrative effectively. This effort is no exception. It is sleek, well-shot, highly inventive, and engrossing. Anyone who enjoys viewing strange camera angles and disorienting perspectives will revel in Panic Room.
The directing is not the only thing contributing to the extremely high level of tension. The sound editing is first rate. There are a number of scenes in which ambient, nondiagetic sonorities heighten the level of suspense considerably. There are also folly sounds which add atmosphere. It is clear that Fincher and the sound editors took their time in creating Panic Room. Every single scene, without exception, is meticulously edited, both in terms of visual composition and sound.
The other thing that keeps the film from mediocrity (or below) is the strong leading performance. Who could argue that the beautiful, talented Jodie Foster should be cast as a character who must consistently outsmart (I'm not going to hide the fact that Foster is one of my favorite actresses) ? In the role of Meg Altman, Foster presents herself as a dedicated mother and intelligent woman, but also as a force to be contended with. She does both extremely well, and at the same time she succeeds in gaining our concern.
Not to be outdone, the actors portraying the thieves all give strong performances as well. Jared Leto is manic and hot-tempered as Junior. His energy and harsh voice perfectly capture the determined but bumbling amateur. Forest Whitaker gives a noteworthy performance as the criminal with a heart. He is the smartest of the three, and unlike the others, he cares for the wellbeing of Meg and Sarah. In his latest acting role, singer Dwight Yoakam creates an avaricious, detestable monster aimed at bulldozing anything or anyone who comes between him and his reward. The clashing personalities of these three provide for extremely engaging plot developments that only further the suspense of what will happen next.
Panic Room is not deep, thoughtful cinema, nor does it claim to be. It is there to do one thing: keep you in suspense for its entire duration. It does so, and it does it with a flair that only David Fincher could bring to the party. For that, it should be fully commended
copyright 2003 Richard A. Zwelling
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.
