Panic Room
Review
by : Gareth Von Kallenbach
Starring:
Jody Foster (Meg), Kristen Stewart (Sarah),
Jared Leto (Junior)
Directed by: David Fincher
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One of the greatest concerns in our modern world is that of
safety. People spend thousands of dollars on alarms, weapons,
defense classes, and homes in safe areas, in an effort to
obtain a sense of security for their families. Recent world
events have shaken many people to their very cores, as the
sense of security once enjoyed by many has been disrupted
by the reality of senseless violence.
In the
new film "Panic Room" audiences are introduced to Meg Altman
(Jody Foster), a woman who is in the process of divorcing
her wealthy, yet adulterous husband. Meg purchases a new home
in New York City where she believes she can start her life
over and care for her daughter Sarah (Kristen Stewart). One
of the unique features of their new home is that it features
a panic room, a hidden chamber that allows the occupants to
hide safely from any intruders to the home. During their first
night in the new house, Meg is startled to see three figures
moving about her home on the security monitors. Grabbing Sarah
quickly, Meg heads into the panic room and seals them in.
It seems
that the three intruders are looking for a safe that is located
in the panic room, and had not expected anyone to be in the
house for another week. The intruders are lead by Junior (Jared
Leto), a tense individual who is attempting to rob the safe
in an effort to collect the inheritance he believes his late
grandfather owes him. Burnham, (Forest Whitaker), a security
expert who is along to get around the security system and
open the safe, and Raoul (Dwight Yoakam), is a heavy that
is brought in as little more than an afterthought by the group,
who soon shows himself to be a dangerous character. What follows
is a cat and mouse game as the group tries to roust Meg and
Sarah from the panic room so they can get what they want.
Fearing for their safety though, Meg fights the intruders
in a battle of wits and wills for their safety.
The film
was directed by David Fincher who did some outstanding work
in "Fight Club" and "Seven", but seems to be unsure of what
to do in this film. His distinct visual style is evident,
as the look of the house, the darkness that envelops the cast,
and the attention to detail are evident in every scene. What
is missing is a sense of tension. Foster and Whitaker are
great, but they are given little to work with aside from a
stock situation of intruders in a home. Without edge of your
seat suspense, the film falls flat. Even when danger is present,
the audience does not get as caught up in the situation as
a film of this type would require. The big problem is the
character of Meg, as she is far too intelligent for the intruders
and she is always one step ahead of them. She also possesses
some unexplained yet outstanding practical applications of
science and electronics, which she uses to thwart the bad
guys. Another problem is the history of Burnham. Junior explains
to him that he needs the money, and he has to be there, and
he makes mention of his family, yet we never learn of his
motivation even when he starts to question what the group
is doing. The film has some entertaining moments, but there
is little to make the film stand out, aside from Foster, but
in the end even that is not enough to raise this movie up
from being a middle of the road suspense film.
Gareth
Von Kallenbach
Gareth@nwlink.com
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