Panic Room

Starring: Jodie Foster, Kristen Stewart, Forest Whitaker, Jared Leto, Dwight Yoakam
Directed by: David Fincher
Rating: R
Genre: Thriller
2002

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A mother (Jodie Foster) and daughter (Kristen Stewart) move into a new house, complete with its own panic room- a room that locks from the inside, and is nearly impenetrable from the outside. As it turns out, the first night they spend in the house, three burglers (Forest Whitaker, Jared Leto, Dwight Yoakam) break in, in order to get what is in a safe in the panic room. Now, the family and burglers are in a dire situation, as the family can't get out, and the burglers can't get in.

Review:

Tim: I have a feeling that most viewers thought this film was better than it actually was. Sure, its about as suspenseful as movies can get, and Fincher does an excellent job of up-ing the suspense level through camera moves to push viewers to the limit. The burglers are all excellent, but most especially, Forest Whitaker, who manages to drum up both fear and sympathy from viewers.

Now, I realize all the great aspects of this film, yet I had trouble enjoying this film, because through the entire thing, I could not help but think it was nothing more than a grown-up Home Alone- burglers trap someone in the house, and defenseless people (or person) resorts to clever schemes in order to get the better of the burglers.

I should clarify that Panic Room has little to do with Home Alone, besides the already mentioned similarity. In contrast, Foster's performance is much better than that Culkin kid could ever muster- she gives a powerful, stunning performance. This film is suspenseful enough, but Foster pushes you over the line. Despite the fact that I had trouble really enjoying this movie, I can tell you that it is unbelievably suspenseful, and quite a wild ride. You'll probably enjoy it more than I did.



Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Home Alone, The Silence of the Lambs, Seven, The Game, Insomnia, Murder by Numbers