*** Official "PANIC ROOM" Review Thread (1 Viewer)

[Brett Jason]

SPOILERS:

I wanted to like it more, and I'm all for suspending disbelief when appropriate but... as soon as the bad guys have her daughter, it's pretty ridiculous. All they had to do was threaten (assuming Forest Whitaker wouldn't have allowed any real harm to come to her) like they were going to really hurt her "OK, we're gonna start breaking her fingers one by one until you come up here and leave the gun at the door". And what was the downside to telling the police that the bad guys had her daughter? They would have had a hostage negotiation team in there and got the daughter out of there. If she really thought they would kill the daughter if she told the police then why would she think they'd ever let her go?

I also think it would have been better if Jodie Foster had talked more to them through the intercom. Maybe use her brain to manipulate thm into turning on themselves sooner.

Finally, I thought her kid was a boy until her hair was wrapped in a towel and I saw the stuffed animals on the shelves.

 

[Brajesh Upadhyay]

Terrific popcorn thriller! Good direction, cinematography, suspense & humor. Reminded me of Hitchcock at times.
:star: :star: :star: 1/2 (out of 4)

 

[Marty Lockstead]

Hello all,
Two things I noticed right off the bat:The stylish opening credits and the amazing cinematography. The entire film reminded me of the great suspense trillers a la Hitchcock. It almost seemed to me like Panic Room was an updated remake of Rear Window at times. Aside from that, the acting was great as well as the necassary claustrophobic feeling of the room itself. The humour was a nice, unexpected touch as well. In other words, I can't wait for the dvd which will be great I'm sure.
Aspect Ratio 2:40 to 1, approx. 112 minutes
:star: :star: :star: out of four.

 

[Rob Willey]

Short review: doesn't reach the admittedly ridiculously high standards of Fincher's last two films, but a solid thriller and better than most of the dreck Hollywood will throw at us this year.
Can you imagine Fincher pitching the project to Leto? "Hey Jared, I'd really like to disfigure you again. Interested?"

Did anyone else see the sunflare blocking the DOP credit a bit?

Yeah, Khondji wanted to obscure Hall's name and Hall wanted to obscure Khondji's name.
Recommended.
Rob

 

[ErichH]

I think most of us wanted at least a little of what Fincher does so well , those turns in the story .

What did impress me was how seamless it is . There's really no wasted time , just a bit of a setup

and on with the suspense . Well Done ! Yes, It did seem a little calm for DF, but maby we're seeing

a refinment from him. This film was just a tune up for something great .

Eric

 

[Dwayne]

I found the film very entertaining. The opening titles were excellent and maintains Fincher's reptutation for having distinctly unique titles in each film he directs.

The admirably subtle use of PHOTO-REALISTIC CGI for some of the dynamic camera movement (much like Fight Club) was just way cool. The lighting was dark and moody as expected. The use of slow-mo to heighten and enhance moments of suspense and danger were put to good use.

This is probably one of Fincher's most accessible features. The success of this film will afford the oppurtunity for Fincher to work on some more riskier material like Fight Club. But like I said, The Panic Room is a very entertaining film with solid performances and some great photography. Don't miss it.

 

[Damin J Toell]

The entire film reminded me of the great suspense trillers a la Hitchcock.

I found it rather interesting that film opened with North By Northwest-like credits and ended with a Vertigo shot....
DJ

 

[Carlo_M]

The girlfriend and I loved this movie. Kept us on the edge of our seats without the use of cheap gimmicks so often found in other thrillers.
When I saw the opening credits, I just muttered a Keanu-like "Whoa!" and smiled.
Fincher does seem to have fallen in love with the camera trick he used in Fight Club of having his cameras go through walls and floors (also like the one outside-to-inside-the-house shot in the other Jodie Foster movie "Contact")) and uses it to good measure here.
Loved the guys who played the bad guys, esp. Whittaker.
Overall :star: :star: :star: 1/2 out of :star: :star: :star: :star: