PANIC
ROOM
With
Jody
Foster,
Forest
Whitaker,
Dwight
Yoakam,
Jared
Leto
Directed
by
David
Fincher
My
first
impression
when
I
heard
about
this
film
was,
"Cool,
another
David
(Se7en
/
Fight
Club)
Fincher
movie,
but,
oh
dear,
how
interesting
can
writer
David
Koepp
keep
a
tale
of
a
mother
&
daughter
trapped
in
a
safe
room
with
3
robbers
trying
to
get
at
them?"
My
fears
and
suspicions
were
comfortably
laid
to
rest,
besides
the
couple
of
logical
loopholes
that
didn't
really
matter
that
much.
It's
Fincher's
amazing
vision
and
cinematic
approach
that
turns
this
basic
time-suspension-wait-&-react
scenario
into
a
superb
piece
of
nail
biting
suspense.
As
far
as
modern
Hitchcock's
go,
this
is
way
up
there.
Recently
split
up
with
her
husband,
a
woman
and
her
daughter
find
a
new
home.
Their
multi-storey
choice
comes
complete
with
a
lift
and
safe-room.
The
very
first
night
spent
there
a
trio
of
burglars
enter
the
house,
expecting
it
to
be
empty.
Mom
&
daughter
escape
into
the
panic
room
and
the
thieves
nail
up
the
place,
intent
on
getting
them
out
of
the
room,
but
not
the
house,
since
what
they're
after
is
in
that
room.
This
seems
straightforward
enough.
Yet,
the
filmmakers
manage
to
turn
it
into
something
far
more
than
a
cat
&
mouse
game.
As
usual
you
have
the
criminal
demographic
of
the
lacking
mastermind,
the
reluctant,
almost-good-guy
and
the
loose
cannon
bound
to
cause
havoc.
Animosity
is
waiting
to
escalate
amoung
the
crooks
as
the
trapped
duo's
desperation
and
means
of
escape
seem
to
diminish.
Reserved
methods
of
added
tension
are
set
up
beforehand,
but
the
less
said
the
better,
as
this
is
what
the
entire
motion
picture
hinges
on
-
varied
moments
of
anxiety,
cunning
suspense,
reserved
but
fuelled
action
and
a
constant
mood
of
fear,
building
towards
an
expectant
conclusion.
What
makes
the
digital
assistance
so
amazing
in
this
film
is
the
freedom
it
gives
the
camera,
making
walls,
floors
and
banisters
fluid
and
uninterrupted
in
its
path.
Fincher
pulled
another
stylish
one
with
his
trademark
dark
atmosphere
well
in
tact.
The
DVD
extras
are
limited
to
a
special
trailer
created
by
Fincher
and
selected
cast
and
director
filmographies.
Not
enough
for
an
intricate
film
like
this.
5
/
B
-
PB
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A
-
B
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C
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