Panic Room

I was leery after seeing the first trailer for Panic Room, but as I saw it each time I noticed something I liked about it. First, the story looked okay, but then I realised Forrest Whitaker was in it (usually a great sign!) and then I saw Jared Leto and noticed Dwight Yokam's name in the credits, and I was ready to see it. Then I realized this was the new David Fincher film, and I was HOOKED! I loved Seven, Fight Club, and I even admired Alien3, simply because of Fincher. The movie is fantastic, full of twists, turns and jolts. The performance of Jared Leto was awesome. His character was funny and seemed to hold the action together. Jodie Foster is great, as usual, and Kristen Stewart was very good as the Sarah (although from the trailers, it was hard to tell if it was a boy or girl...)and Dwight and Forrest were great as well. This is the best suspense film in a while, and Fincher once again proves he is at the top of his profession! "Go see Panic Room!"

Panic Room (2002)

There are three reasons to see Panic Room. 1) The titles: understated, gorgeous, uncanny letters floating in the Manhattan cityscape. 2) The photography: camera moving like an animal, slipping between tiny spaces, swinging across rooms and through floors, inhabiting the screen like another character. 3) Forest Whitaker, again (he's so good so often it's hard to not expect a great performance).

The rest of the film is very good, directed with style and intelligence as usual by David Fincher (who did Seven and Fight Club). The plot is good, but maybe a little conventional overall, and if the details aren't completely predictable, the general flow of events is. The whole cast is quite good--Foster in a familiar embattled, determined role, and Jared Leto is an appropriately crazed, if slightly caricatured, bad guy who just wants money. Don't we all.

I saw this when it came out and was dazzled and yet disappointed by the plot. The second time, knowing the events, I was able to just watch how they unfolded, and it was much better. Expect suspense, intensity, and beautiful camera-work.

This movie kept me at the edge of my seat from 10 minutes inside of it and all through until its very end. A very good story highlighted by very good performances.

My hat off to Jodie Foster and Kristen Stewart, they're great playing mother and daughter.

Country-singer-turned-actor Dwight Yoakam outdoes himself portraying one of the burglars.

This movie is a nice piece of work! Those expecting or needing an edgy film ala Seven or Fight Club, don't bother. This movie does not pretend or intend to be what it is not. The camera work is great, the photography is great, and the acting is note-perfect given the script.

Nothing over-ambitious and the Fincher flick with the most appropriate running time and the least false notes so far. This is a classic thriller, much better than the negative reviews from other people led me to believe.

The photography is perfect for the movie. That includes the virtual camera work. Yes it looks like a David Fincher movie, but no it is not intentionally depressing and ugly as his others. The lighting works with the settings (3am in a huge house.)

Yes it's violent, that's why it's R rated. No, it's not something you'll necessarily want to watch a second time. This 90 very entertaining minutes of "now what's gonna happen"?

So suspend your disbelief a tad, sit back, and be entertained.

This claustrophobic suspense thriller sets itself up well with a remarkable, if digitally enhanced, one-shot that neatly and necessarily establishes the geography of the central location, while also planting the seeds for the seedy uses of various tools laying about the house, so that the action that comes later is clean and clear without ever needing to slow down for the sake of audience reorientation. 'Panic Room (2002)' is pretty pacy and nicely gritty to boot, being unusually violent for pictures of the kind but never less tense either. It manages to make a compelling home-invasion seem suitably layered, presenting the bad guys as rounded individuals with differing yet believable motives and personalities. It still feels immediately dangerous, though, never losing sight of its protagonists and the escalating peril they're placed in, until it finally reaches its truly edge-of-your-seat and slightly unexpected finale. 7/10