DON'T PANIC (Panic Room (DVD))

Member Name: TJ-Mackey

Product:	Panic Room (DVD)
Date:	15/05/02 (89 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Fincher, Foster, Forest

Disadvantages: A little clichéd and predictable

One building. Five characters. Three inches of solid steel.

Trust ultra-stylish director David Fincher to build a tense, gripping thriller from such a simple grounding. And while 'Panic Room' is undoubtedly more mainstream than his previous three films, his usual directorial touches are thankfully still present. The claustrophobic atmosphere, dazzling camerawork and intense performances are all impressive and will be familiar to fans of Fincher's past work. The screenplay by David Koepp is admittedly neither as biting as 'Fight Club', nor as intelligent as 'Se7en', but that's hardly a fair criticism. 'Panic Room' is a well-structured, taut drama, which is lifted further by the uniquely distinctive vision of Fincher, who is fast becoming one of the few 'must-see' directors working today.

The story itself is perhaps nothing remarkable. Recent divorcee Meg Altman (Jodie Foster) moves into a cavernous Manhattan house with her teenage daughter, Sarah (Kirsten Stewart). As well as being unusually large and spacious for its location, the property also boasts the panic room of the title - an impenetrable room installed by the previous owner to protect the occupants from intruders. As their luck would have it, three burglars break into the house on their first night, and immediately the high-tech security system is put to the test. Matters are complicated further when it's revealed the intruders are after a safe that just happens to be located in the panic room with Meg and Sarah...

What you notice first about 'Panic Room' is the undeniably polished production. It's also worth noting that this is what you'd call a 'straight' thriller, certainly by Fincher's standards, anyhow. There aren't any devilish twists, it's not overly dark either, and some of it is fairly predictable. Koepp is guilty of borrowing certain elements from similar films in this genre, but not
so much that it spoils our enjoyment. Technically though, the movie is outstanding. The camerawork is superb throughout, and as we sweep effortlessly around the many floors of the house, it's difficult to tell just where the gloomy set ends and the CGI begins.

Character-wise, Jodie Foster is unsurprisingly given the most development, while the three burglars range from interesting to clichéd. Replacing Nicole Kidman at the eleventh hour, Foster gives a believable performance as a mother first overcoming a messy divorce, and then desperately trying to protect her daughter from danger. Of the burglars, the underrated Forrest Whitaker is the most impressive as the 'good villain', playing him well enough to gain audience sympathy for his situation. The other two are your typical movie bad guys ? Jared Leto plays the motor-mouthed guy without a clue, while Dwight Yoakam is the quiet, unhinged type who you just know could snap at any moment. Once Meg and Sarah are behind the solid-steel door of the panic room, a game of cat-and-mouse begins as the three intruders attempt to flush them out.

The tension doesn't let up from the moment of the break-in, and I'd have to say this is the first time in a while I've been so transfixed by a film for the entire first hour. Fincher's direction is exhilarating, and Howard Shore's atmospheric score is entirely appropriate to the themes of the movie. Unfortunately, the clichés in the script let 'Panic Room' down somewhat in the second half, but thankfully the superior performances from Foster and Whitaker are enough to save it.

I'd definitely recommend this film to anyone interested in seeing a well-made and interesting thriller, and I'm sure if you're a fan of David Fincher's you'll have already booked your tickets. Having said that, it doesn't really compare to the terrific 'Se7en', and it'll be interesting to see if Fincher can achie
ve that level of excellence again. After this film though, he's bound to get a few more offers coming his way.

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