Panic room, 2002

Panic room, 2002
Director: David Fincher
Cast: Jodie Foster, Kristen Stewart, Forest Whitaker




Stage: Home TV, late Saturday selection


Panic room in short: Recently divorced Meg Altman and her daughter Sarah have bought a new home in New York. On their tour around the mansion, they come across the panic room. A room so secure, that no one can get in. When three burglars break in, Meg makes a move to the panic room. But all her troubles don't stop there. The criminals know where she is, and what they require the most in the house is in that very room.



Preps: Hm. I have seen this piece at the movies in 2002, I liked it. Now I see it has Kristen Stewart, known for vampire saga Twilight as a beautiful Bella. Here I need to see her as a child.


Reality: Wow, beautiful Bella once really was a child. Here as Jodie Foster's diabetic daughter, she gains my confidence in her act. She was developing at that time, but least I see she has been working hard from the beginning (same thing as Drew Barrymore, for instance, starting off with ET.

Now, the Panic room is a perfect shelter for people that don't get excited in closed spaces. Ironically enough, Jodie Foster plays someone that really doesn't like closed rooms, nor supervision through cameras. An unusual story, where some leftovers are hidden after the last owner and aren't taken away quick enough. This is why the burglars come to claim the property, not knowing the house has been sold in the mean time and even more, has now new owners, actually living in the house. The threesome is amusing, showing underappreciation towards burglars. Maybe Finches' own fears or attempt to teach us about how things should be in this world. I doubt that most burglars come as a)fathers that want to give their son the best they can; b)really stupid coleric individuals that don't think two cm below their dicks or c) that they meet at the scene of the job with an armed really weird individual.

In any sense, the movie has a temper and energy, it will keep you high all the time and you will feel the need to ask yourself about the reality these characters are showing. Is it really impossible to get into the safe room? The only way to make the viewer believe is if you make an expert part of the burglar team, namely one that builds such cages. Even if the goal is to prevent burglars from getting into one of those.
Also, some tweeks, I don't buy. You just don't get your hand caught by steel doors and it is still there. It should be cut off. Maybe the choice of director to avoid 18+ rating. And some others.. barefeet people running on the glass not getting hurt is one of them. Hitting a man so hard and him still being conscious, another.. And a lot more. Still, a good showoff of what it might happen somewhere if..

The ending is a bit romantic and could be done a bit differently to get the tention to the peak, not to release it. I claim it to be a fairly good choice of a Sat night movie. It will make you think what would you do if you were in their shoes.


My personal grade: 6,0 (solid proof of concept for a Saturday night. Will get your blood running a bit faster. And you will rehearse the SOS code again :)


Panic room on IMDB