Rating: 
Summary: Jodie Foster is FANTASTIC in this Best of 2002
Review: Every so often a an off-the-wall director plays it straight. Sometimes it blunts their edge, like Robert Altman's Grisham-by-numbers adaptation of The Gingerbread Man. Sometimes it produces an entrancing oddity, like David Lynch's The Straight Story. However it sometimes brings out the best of the director, and Panic Room is a massive example of this, showing David Fincher's class through and through.The story revolves around Meg, a recent divorcee who moves into a cavernous property in Manhattan that looks for all the world like the dream property to take care of her daughter. However on their first night in the house a trio of burglars break in and a stand-off ensues with Meg and daughter trapped in an impenetrable bunker in the middle of the house (the titular Panic Room) and whilst the burglars trying to get in to access a hidden safe. It is the greatest credit to the cast, writer and director that a stock genre situtation is shown in such a fresh and vital light throughout. From Forrest Whittaker's compromised morality to Jared Leto's drug addicted craziness each role seems so real it would be an injustice to attempt to describe them in a few lines. These are not characters, these are people and people can only be defined in a few sentences by a great artist, and here there is definate evidence of greatness at work. However where the film finds real depth is in the character of Meg. After Nicole Kidman withdrew because of injuries sustained during Moulin Rouge, Jodie Foster was brought in and the character of Meg toughened up and made less glamourous. This change in the character opens up completely different areas of the film. With the absent husband / father having left for a young model, Kidman would have lent the film an air of rejected fragile beauty being slowly crushed before finding her inner strength. A classic tale of having to reach the bottom to find a way up. However with Foster's tougher screen personna we have a battle of the rejected woman trying to re-assert her ability to function in the world alone as stronger as she did before and determined to lose no diginity along the way. The trio of intruders become like phantoms of her husband whilst her claustrophic fear of the Panic Room mirrors her fear of this strange and new world closing in around her. Given the trust of writer and director, Foster lets her body do all the acting and gives a master class in showing how dialogue should illustrate everything the character isn't saying. Fincher's visual style builds on Fight Club, even from a credit sequence that recalls North By Northwest but stands on its own in invention and execution. The whole film seems to be shot in a new form of 3D where every object seems perfectly natural, but with heightened depths, as if you were admiring the craftsmanship of a perfectly rendered computer simulation, but without being able to see any flaws. This works perfectly in the claustrophobic confines of Panic Room where the viewer is drawn into each room of the house and left standing next to the protaganists. Despite featuring a couple of scenes which will have you screaming at the screen because of the characters stupidity to do the sensible thing, it is hard to find fault with David Koepp's taught script. However without Fincher's obsessively bleak vision to give it an edge Panic Room would have been another slick forgetable thriller, instead it is classic film-making that truly deserves the title of 21st century Hitchcock. Truly enjoyed it...can't wait for the video/dvd.
Rating: 
Summary: The Panic Room
Review: First of, to correct the review above me this film is SUPPOSED TO BE a comedy; but more of a dark comedy. If you've seen Fight Club you'd see the comedic reseblance.
The suspense wasn't there because you expect something funny to happen and the cg (computer graphics) was WAAAAY over-done. If you take out the cg you'd be left without the house. That's kinda dissappoining.
But the acting was nice though. Especially coming from Jared Leto. This film is mainly about the characters, and after establishment (which always pops back and forth for more) you have the actions taken.
David Finch's style is fine and is greatly shown in this film and like I said before, there was too much cg. This film doesn't even need any.
Calling this film a classic... no. Sorry. Fight Club is a 'cult classic', this film is fun and maybe even cool.
And that's a wrap.
Rating: 
Summary: I don't get it...
Review: I mean, what was the director and the movie creators where thinking? What is this movie supposed to be? I want to say something for the reviewers who actually enjoyed the movie: IT DOESN'T HAVE A PLOT, PEOPLE! WAKE UP AND SMELL THE COFFEE! I mean, SCARY? yeah right, I couldn't even breathe during the movie... but now really, what were the scenarist and the director of the movie thinking? this movie has a stupid plot (if it really has a plot...) and the ending is even more stupid (if it really has a normal ending...) But I give this 2 stars because of 2 reasons: the filming of this movie is actually very original and looks really good, and some parts of the movie are challening,
but overall: an empty, meaningless, plotless, pointless movie.
Rating:
Summary: The Best Damn Movie Ever
Review: ...this movie's a classic...It had a great plot, full of both suspense and action throughout the movie. It got right into the action while managing to keep a well written and believable story in effect the entire film. I loved this movie and think its one of the best movies, if not the best out there.
Rating:
Summary: Panic Room
Review: Panic Room Jodie Foster has come a long way since starring in those Disney films "Candleshoe" and "Freaky Friday". Having been nominated for four Academy Awards (1977 for "Taxi Driver", 1989 for "The Accused", 1992 for "The Silence of The Lambs" and 1995 for "Nell") and winning twice ("The Silence of The Lambs" and "The Accused") she is a versatile actor who has shown that she can hold her own against the best of them. Since her last nomination she has decided to take time and make a movie every other year. This is her first movie since 1999's "Anna and The King" which failed to ignite at the box office. "Panic Room", directed by David Fincher ("Alien 3", "Se7en", "Fight Club") is a look at what happens when your first night in new surroundings becomes a chilling battle for survival. Meg Altman (Foster) is a single mother with a daughter (Newcomer Kristen Stewart) who has just finalized a divorce from a pharmaceutical big shot. Now she and her daughter are looking to find a place to live. They settle on a quaint New York brownstone with three floors. The place is everything they need and more. There is something else that it has that puzzles Meg. You see the original owner was paranoid and never thought you could be too safe so he had a secret room put in the apartment. That room is known as a "Panic Room" and features virtually everything that you would need should you ever find yourself confined to that room. As Meg and her daughter settle in for the night, they have no idea that three murderous thieves (Forrest Whittaker, Dwight Yoakam, Jared Leto) are intent on getting into the house and obtaining a cache of money hidden in the house. Fleeing to the Panic Room mom and daughter try to get the thieves to leave but they are not easily persuaded and when they reveal that what they want is located in the "Panic Room", they realize that they are in for a long night unless they can figure out a way to outwit the thieves who are trying to get in. One of them it is later revealed helped create the room so he tells the other's that since we can't get in we have to get her to come out. How they attempt to do so is quite suspenseful. Country Music singer Dwight Yoakam is chilling as one of the three villains. He spends the first half of the movie covered up by a mask and speaking very little. However halfway through he gets really nasty and shows his true colours. The movie has a lot of nifty camera angles that give you a spooky tour of the place. Every inch of this place looks creepy at night and during some key scenes it makes the movie all the more frightening. I also liked the whole cat and mouse aspect of the film. The thieves can't get in and mother and daughter can't get out. At one point in the story the heroine finds herself faced with a life or death situation involving her daughter. Does she risk their lives to get what is needed or does she stay in the room and hope for some help? Scary stuff indeed.
Review: **** out of five
Rating:
Summary: To Be Film Classic in 30 Years
Review: Panic Room is a chiller/suspense thriller that hits all of the dramatic notes with expert precision. Included in this film are several high points: Jodie Fosters always easily watched performance, Fine Direction from a expert film craftsman (David Fincher), and the maintained arch of the true suspense movie (including a jaw-dropping climax). There are a few slight trips in the film, but the whole of it easily fills those gaps, letting the movie wash over you, as it should. The high-tech, only-possible-by-computer scenes (such as a shot where it goes from a third floor bedroom, down to the first floor through the center of the staircase, through room after room, and through objects that a movie camera could never pass through), the descent score, the atmosphere, and the fine performances all cumulate to form a easily watched film, without the fuss of too much plot, or too many imperfections. This is the movie for someone who likes Hitchcock with computers.
Rating: 
Summary: Horrible movie!
Review: I really do not understand how so many people can give good reviews to such bad movies. I saw this in the theater and everyone was laughing, but it's not supposed to be funny. The criminals are such bumbling idiots that it makes it impossible for the movie to be suspenseful. The holes in the plot are HUGE! Has it been that long since anyone has seen a Hitchcock movie? You'd think that most directors would be familiar with his work, and would have a basic idea of how to create suspense. I've never been to film school but I guarantee you that I could make a better movie than this one.
Rating:
Summary: Jodie Foster Proves Why She's One Of Hollywood's Best
Review: Prior to watching "Panic Room", I have never been Jodie Foster's avid fan ("avid fan" meaning watching most or all of her movies) although I have always thought that she is a GOOD actress (from her work in "The Silence of the Lambs" & "The Accused") nor have I been a fan of the film's director, David Fincher. What I do enjoy is watching suspense/thrillers so when I decided that "Panic Room" was interesting enough for me, I invested about 2 hours of my time. Here are my comments: (1) The Plot: Two people stuck in their own home in a room that's supposed to be safest in the house when thieves want to get into that particular room certainly is interesting. However, others would argue that it is also limiting - what could one really do with such a thin plot? The movie handled this by adding little twists involving the characters - their values, feelings, etc. Personally, I think that when one watches a movie like this, he or she should adjust to the storyline - one can't expect much from a setting that takes place in only one night so it is not uncommon for the characters to have their own uniqueness form part of the story. (2) The Script: While I mostly enjoyed the dialogue between Jodie's character, Meg Altman, & her on-screen daughter, Sarah, as well as the dialogue among the thieves, I felt that there was too much humor into the story (although I realize the need for humor to "ease" the tenseness of the situation, I just think there was too much comic relief than necessary). (3) The Direction: David Fincher's direction surely was unique. I really appreciated the camera angles he used as well as the CG-images but there were scenes that made me a bit dizzy. I commend him for trusting his audience - he did not let the character's spill out every important detail in the beginning ... he implied some things & gave the audience clues, treating the audience as intelligent human beings. (4) The Acting: This is Jodie Foster's movie & her acting was perfect. She was able to show fear & rage at the same time, be bitter towards the failure of her marriage yet still loving & maternal toward her daughter. I don't think any other actress could have played the character better. In the beginning of this review, I said that I have never been an avid fan of Jodie Foster ... well, this movie just changed my mind. Jodie Foster is not just a good actress, she is a GREAT actress. I hope she does more movies like this. Kristen Stewart, who played Sarah, was likewise good. She played an intelligent child who was able to show that she was affected by the divorce of her parents but still she loved both of them, she was able to convincingly portray a child probably having an identity crisis (as many kids her age also undergo, I suppose). The three actors who played the villians were also good, especially Dwight Yoakam. All in all, the movie was very entertaining & worth the money I paid to go see it. I gave it 4-star rating because of the flaws that I found. Nevertheless, it is a movie that I would enjoy watching again ... I know because I have already seen it twice.
Rating: 
Summary: A Bit Of A Let Down!
Review: Have you ever seen a film that has been almost universally acclaimed by the critics, everyone you know seems to love it too and yet you find yourself in a minority of one who thinks that maybe this film was slightly over-rated? Well that was how I felt after seeing this movie-in fact I began to feel that maybe I had the worst taste in films going!! I've really enjoyed Fincher's most recent films '7' and 'Fight Club' and what with Jodie Foster in the cast I was really looking forward to this film. The previews made it out to be a rollercoaster ride of tension and anxiety for the viewer. To be honest I found it barely palpable apart from a few brief moments where I got frustrated and slightly anxious as Foster gropes around for her cell-phone. The premise of the movie is really good-recently split from her mega-rich husband, Foster and her young teenage daughter (with an attitude!) seek to move into a new residence in Manhattan. The fact that this husband left her means that Foster can gain some sort of vengeance by exploiting his wealth by moving into this amazing house. This massive house full of winding stairs, old rattling windows, inevitable shadows and even better a service elevator also happens to have what is known as a panic room. This room is in fact an impenetrable room from which all the rest of the house can be viewed through a c.c.t.v. system. The fact that the house would have such a room in the first place would have made me pretty jumpy. So of course everyone knows that Foster and her daughter would have to use this room at some stage-personally speaking I'd have left the daughter outside! Yet the fact that it happens so early in the film I feel has a limiting effect on developing a storyline or characters. The house is soon invaded by 3 of the most stereotypical burglars you could ever meet. They sort of reminded me of the two hapless burglars in the Home Alone movies! Forrest Whittaker is the burglar with a kind heart who only wants to feed his kids; Jarod Leto-the loudmouth clueless burglar and Dwight Yoakam is the cold-hearted psychopathic burglar who tries to maintain an aura of hopeless mystery. I did find myself intrigued as to how the situation could reslove itself-but after a while I simply didn't care what happened especially as events grew more and more farcical. Personally I began to pray that maybe the burglars would just give up and go home for a good nights sleep. The ending is a total anti-climax and whatever Fincher was thinking in the closing seconds before the credits as we zoom in closely on two of the characters faces (won't tell you who!) to an enormous crescendo of dramatic violins-I sort of left the cinema laughing loudly. I suspect maybe Fincher was too!
Rating:
Summary: Sould Be Nominated For A Golden Globe
Review: Panic Room was probably this best movie I ever saw. The cinemitography was AMAZING! This movie should be nominated for best original screenplay. The opening credits were FABULOUS! I have never seen a movie with camera angles that great!
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