Review of Panic Room (2002) by Alasdair B — 05 Feb 2015

As a new David Fincher fan, I was very impressed with his first film "Seven''. It was dark, gritty, and suspenseful. A very impressive directorial debut for Fincher. "Panic Room'' is Fincher's fourth film, and it stars Jodie Foster, Kirsten Stewart, Forest Whitaker, Dwight Yoakam, and Jared Leto. The film follows divorced widow Meg Altman (Foster) and her young daughter played by Stewart. Mother and daughter have been house hunting and have chosen a new house. However, it's not just any old house. It's got allot of space, a built in elevator, and a panic room. One night, three burglars break into the house in search of something. What Meg doesn't know, is that what they're searching for is in the very room they are hiding in.

As a fan of suspense and thriller films, this is right up my ally. The performances are overall really solid. Jodie Foster is a award winning actress, and she gives the best performance in the film. Forest Whitaker and Jared Leto are really good as well. Kirsten Stewart gives a serviceable performance as a kid but nothing noteworthy.

The film does a great job keeping you on edge. Going into this, I thought it was some horror film, but I was pleasantly surprised. It's a really original and inventive thriller movie. It's a simple story, but it's elevated by the strong performances. The cinematography and visual style of the film are really creative. The direction from Fincher is evident by his skill to keep you on the edge of your seat, and his ability to engage you in his films. The script is pretty straight forward, with some decent dialogue. Lastly, I always love hearing Howard Shore's scores, even if they all sound like Lord of the Rings pieces.

Is this Fincher's best film? No. Since I have only seen "Seven'', I can't say to much. It's not as gripping as "Seven''is, nor is it as terrifying. The problem with the film is that it doesn't really flesh out the characters. Meg (Foster) is the main character, and while you do care about what happens to Meg and her daughter, you don't really care about them to much. However, the film isn't a character study, it's a thriller. It's about being on edge and wondering how things will play out.

"Panic Room'' is David Fincher's fourth film, and it definitely shows his ability to take a simple story and scenario and make it extremely engaging. The performance from Foster is great, the visual style of the film is fresh, and there is allot of tension throughout. It does feel at times however, a bit too long. I also wish the main characters were a little more fleshed out.