Review by David Sticher

This is a fantastic cat-and-mouse thriller that delivers with the sort

of steely, intelligent gusto not seen since DePalma and Polanski's

great work of the 70's. This movie is chilling, smart, formidably

acted, directed with muscle, and above all else entertaining, a

corker and a half of a popcorn flick.

What's more, while "Panic Room" is primarily a ripping action yarn,

it also happens to possess a significant amount of weight as a

multifacted satire of class, security, family, and surveillance. This

element is delicate and subtle, just as the social commentary was

in Fincher's not altogether dissimilar "The Game," but it is sincere

and effective without ever overwhelming the fascinating plot or -

more importantly - the tension at large. Keep your eyes open -

Fincher isn't simply an empty stylist, but as he's proven in all of his

films to date, he's a keen observer and possessed of a sly, dark

wit that goes beyond his camera pyrotechnics.

But I'm reading too much into it already, or at least missing the

point of its real qualities - the fact that it more or less kicks ass.

Suffice it to say, "Panic Room" is a great ride, and highly

recommended to anyone looking for a genuinely tense and

exciting thriller.