out of
First off, I admit I was originally disappointed by Panic Room. After Se7en, The Game, and Fight Club, you start to expect a certain level of greatness from this director. In such a short period of time, Fincher has gained a rather large cult following, many claiming him to be the next Stanley Kubrick. I, of course, am right amidst that following. As one of Fincher's most ardent fans (he's my idol and inspiration--I may even be his number one fan!), it's hard for me to walk into a Fincher film without an air of excitement. After all, he's the man who believes films should scar instead of entertain.
But somehow, Fincher does both. And with Panic Room, Fincher has his most commercial and pedestrian film yet. Does that make it a bad movie? On the contrary. Panic Room is a thrill-machine--a white-knuckle rollercoaster of the most visceral kind. There are moments of true inspiration and greatness here, where Fincher seems to genuinely evoke the spirit of the late, great Hitchcock. There are those scenes which will have you digging your nails into the armrest, and knee-jerking in terror. But unlike any of Fincher's last four films, Panic Room does have a simple method of handling itself. There are no thought-provoking themes at work here, and there are no surprising twists. Exchanging thematic depth for pure adrenaline, Panic Room succeeds exceedingly well.
Panic Room begins with some simple yet effective credits, pulsating with Howard Shore's score (admittedly, the theme sounds very Bernard Herrmann-esque, but Shore's minimalist style takes over for most of the film). Then we are introduced to Meg Altman (Jodie Foster) and her daughter Sarah (Kristen Stewart). They are invited in to a luxurious townstone home, which contains not only four stories of space, but an elevator and a secret panic room. It doesn't take a genius to realize this panic room will become the primary subject of the movie. The real surprises come later, when Sarah and Meg are fighting off intruders in their home (played by Forest Whitaker, Jared Leto, and Dwight Yoakam). How do you keep one simple set and one premise going strong for two hours? Taking a cue from Hitchcock's own Rear Window, the movie rarely leaves the simple house set. And much like that Hitchcock film, Panic Room consistently finds new ways of moving the story forward.
Credit that to David Koepp, the screenwriter of this thriller. Koepp manages to up the ante with every twist, culminating in a brutal and violent showdown between these five characters. The dialogue is kept to a minimum, used primarily to give depth to the characters or to lighten the tone with pitch black humor (and often, it is very funny). Koepp gives us rather bare-essential characters, but they are given enough depth to make us care whether or not they live. Even the villains are afforded moments of revelation, adding a new level of tension when you realize these guys are just angry and resentful of the lives of the wealthy (a throwback to Fight Club for sure). Burnham (played well by Whitaker) is in the middle of a custody battle, and is well short on money. Junior (Leto) is angry that his inheritance will be far less than he wants. And Raoul (Yoakam) just wants money.
Yes, inside the panic room is a safe containing millions of dollars from the previous owner. But to get to it, these criminals first need to get access to the safe. This means getting the two Altmans to come out. This proves exceedingly difficult, and their original plan soon turns violent and scary. I won't give away any more of the plot, since experiencing the surprises is most of the fun. I will say many of the twists are intelligent and interesting--rarely do you ever ask, "Why'd they do that?" These characters are all afforded intelligence, rationally trying to think their way out of the situation. It's a chess-like game of cat-and-mouse, where the smarter person comes out on top (I really liked the moment when Raoul freely admits, "Why didn't we do that?"). Of course, it does help to have lady luck on your side.
Jodie Foster looks like she's having a great time with this role, which is obviously physically demanding. Nicole Kidman, who was originally slated to star, was forced to drop out when her injured knee prevented her from performing. This probably worked for the best, considering Foster has the steel, intelligent persona that comes naturally (and no, this is not a slam against the immensely talented Kidman). We believe her fear, and we are afraid for her. Likewise, Kristen Stewart makes a wonderful daughter-figure for Foster (heck, they even look alike). Giving a strong, assured performance, Stewart bonds with Foster and we believe they care for one another. Jared Leto gives an effective performance, oozing creepiness from every corn roll. Dwight Yoakam, probably one of the most talented singers-turn-actors around, is downright scary as the violent and menacing villain. Special credit must be given to Forrest Whitaker (who worked with Fincher on his first debut feature, Alien3). He manages to create a sympathetic creature, driven by society to criminal acts.
Of course, let's face it. This is a David Fincher movie. He's quickly become one of the premiere Hollywood filmmakers, creating daring, bold films within the Hollywood system. I can only assume Panic Room to be a desperate box office prayer. After all, Fincher's dark style has only hit big once (Se7en). Since Hollywood is primarily a business, his lack of box office presence may hinder his ability to craft films in the future. After Fight Club was a surprisingly lackluster seller at the box office, Fincher needed to prove himself again. Panic Room is just that vehicle. It's a normal, average thriller, elevated by good writing and his imaginative sense of direction. It'll have you crawling in your seat, gasping and even yelling for these characters. The brilliance of Panic Room lies in its timing--after so many dark, depressing movies (this is the man who killed Gwyneth Paltrow and Brad Pitt), you can never expect a happy ending. Will the Altmans survive their ordeal? You can only pray, knowing that Fincher is more than willing to kill them both. After all, he's said time and time again, he prefers movies that scar, instead of entertaining.
Fincher is also well-known for how his movies look. In fact, they're becoming a signature among Hollywood (many-a-time dark, atmospheric films are referred to as Fincher-esque). Fortunately, Panic Room follows in the same path. The visuals are dark and creepy, and they fit the tone and atmosphere perfectly. There's a creepy image of a shadowed figure standing behind Foster. There's a great moment during the initial break-in, which occurs in one consecutive take (aided by computer imagery). With cinematographers Conrad W. Hall and Darius Khondji (who, despite his work on the grizzly Se7en, was released from his job due to creative disagreements), Fincher creates a palpable sense of mood. There's a beautiful image of propane coursing over the ceiling, and a wonderful shot outside a peephole to two rain-drenched policemen. And there is the nail-biting slow-motion cliffhanger (done sans sound) where you might find yourself yelling to the screen (several people in our theater did). But the most impressive image occurs in the final five minutes, as police swarm the house. Unfortunately, I can't say more, since this would give away the ending (for those curious, scroll past the links at the bottom of this page).
Panic Room is rated R for violence and language. The intensity of the film definitely deserves the rating, and the day Fincher makes a non-R rated film will shock me. For a thriller, Panic Room will leave you jittered and nerve-wracked by its conclusion. This is easily the most terrifying film to hit theaters since Joy Ride panicked us last year. And if anything, that's reason to celebrate.
| Rating: out of
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© 2002 Boyd Petrie |