Panic

Rating:
Summary: A Subtle Masterpiece
Review: I first watched PANIC last October when it aired on SHOWTIME. I am a huge Neve Campbell fan and jumped at the chance to see something new from her. I was astonished at how good this movie was. Don't get me wrong, I love Neve's other movies, but they appeal to the senses in a much more shallow, and immediate pleasure-type way. This movie seemed extremely deep compared to her role in WILD THINGS and the SCREAM films (which I still LOVE). PANIC is the story of Alex who is tired of his job of killing people so he decides to see a shrink. In the waiting room, he meets a friendly, neurotic young woman, Sarah, played with perfection by Neve Campbell. Alex immediatley takes to Sarah and her antics and begins to slowly get involved with her, easing his way into an affair. The film brilliantly interweaves the story of Alex's past, his future, his struggles with his family (his father, who forced him into the "family business" of murder-for-hire, his mother who quietly supports her husband's decisions, his wife, who feels distanced and bitter towards Alex, and most importantly, his son, who is just beginning to understand how the world works), his torrid affair with Sarah, and the relashionship (which quickly becomes deadly) with his therapist. The movie does not use special effects to dazzle the eye or even complex camera shots. The entire movie gives a sort of tense vibe, which really contributes to all of the story lines. The last ten minutes are honestly the most haunting and compelling I have seen in recent films. Every actor submits themselves to their role and becomes their character and I honestly believe what they say. Sammie, the six year old son of Alex, provides the comic relief (the scene at the table where he talks about going into the army is hilarious) but at the same time instills the fear that history will repeat itself, and he too will fall prey to Alex's father. This is a must see for ANY Neve Campbell fan....or any fan for that matter.

Rating:
Summary: excellent film
Review: i just saw this film, and i was blown away! the acting is great all around, and the music is perfect! william h. macy plays a contract-killer who was trained by his father, and is now facing personal problems and is basically having a "mid-life crisis". i must admit that this is a pretty depressing movie, but it does make you think... about the choices you make, and what makes us happy in life. this movie will probably be compared to american beauty, because william h. macy's character, alex, does chase after a younger girl, but i don't think it is all that much similar. i mean panic was way better!

in my opinion this is macy's best film since fargo. he really makes me believe his character! i really feel sorry for this guy and his life, etc. he gives a really powerful performance, as do donald sutherland and neve campbell.

i hope the dvd has some good supplemental stuff like interviews and whatnot. highly recommended!

Rating:
Summary: pointless
Review: i really like macy but this movie was boring boring boring. Not to mention, i'm supposed to believe in the old hitman with a heart of gold??? also, ending was totally contrived.

Rating:
Summary: One of the best movies I have seen in a long time
Review: I was completely surprised by this very underrated movie. How is it possible that absolute trash like Tomb Raider can attract wide audiences and a gem like this disappears with out appearing on anybody's radar? The writing is superb, the acting outstanding (especially William H Macy is incredible) and the execution is impeccable. But, having said that, I have to say that I can imagine how this movie confused test audiences (and apparently some reviewers here): it refuses to be stuck in a typical prefab category. But this is it's strength. If you like your movies to be smart and bold, this will be a perfect pick. If you appreciate having all emotions and plot twists announcing their appearance twenty minutes in advance, don't chose this movie.

A very intelligent and adult (as in mature, there is little violence and no nudity at all) movie for an audience that appreciates subtle nuances.

Rating:
Summary: One of the best movies I've ever seen, maybe the best
Review: I wasn't totally sure what to expect when I rented this movie. I was browsing the shelves, and this one had caught my eye several times. I always brushed it off, though, expecting some sort of FARGO wannabe. Admittedly, the premise doesn't sound all too inspiring. But, you can't go wrong with William H. Macy, and Donald Sutherland is always good (even in bad movies).

So I rented it. I could not believe how much I enjoyed the movie.The cast was terrific, I'd even venture to say brilliant. Everyone in this movie is perfect, especially the son. But more on him in a second.

The hitman plot is interesting, and fun to watch. The father-son relationship with Macy and Sutherland is all too painful and similar to many, I'm sure. John Ritter and Tracey Ullman are two of the kindest, most sympathetic characters ever. But the son...the actor who played Macy and Ullman's son was the best part of the movie. Blowing on his harmonica at the breakfast table, his mother frantically trying to get him ready for school, he finally stops and looks up at her: "Mom, I'm composing." The birthday scene is the most touching I've seen, all without words. The scene, maybe a minute or two long, had me smiling the whole way through unbeknowngst to myself. It wasn't a funny, scene, it wasn't comedic, it was just touching.

But all that makes it sound like some sappy movie. It's not, really. The movie actually made me very happy (in a weird kind of way, which you'll see if you watch this movie). It's not sentimental, it's not melodramatic, and it's not a tearjerker. It's hard to put into words what it is, but it's like holding a newborn baby (which still sounds sappy).

I really cannot reccomend this movie enough.

Rating:
Summary: A haunting film about a hitman with an identity crisis
Review: If you're a fan of William Macy, this is a must-see film. I think it is one of his finest roles, showcasing his ability to convey emotional complexity without being overly dramatic or over the top. In this film, he plays a hitman who is becoming increasingly tormented by being part of the family business, a business which just happens to be murder for hire, disposing of unwanted people for a hefty fee. The business is headed by Alex's father, played to psychotic perfection by Donald Sutherland, a man who is relentless in his determination to make Alex do his will. Tormented by the idea that his young son might follow his own path, Alex decides to see a psychiatrist (John Ritter). Neve Campbell, cast against type (for those of us who remember her in Scream) does a superb job playing a troubled young woman who encounters Alex in the psychiatrist's waiting room, eventually entering into an affair with him. I won't say more about the major events in this film but hope this brief intro intrigues you enough to want to see it. Although I plan to watch this one again and again, I do have to say this might not be for you if you want a movie full of non-stop action, suspense and violence. The drama here is mostly psychological, intense enough in its own way, but far different from that of an action film.

Rating:
Summary: Campbell shows off her legs!
Review: It is sad to see talent like Sutherland and Macy go sour with flick like this! Sutherland and Macy are a father & son hitmen. Dad gives the order and son disposes of target. What a bad choice for hitman! Macy goes to psychiatrist (Jack Tripper-Hahaha)and tell him he kills for a living. Later, he tells him that he has "fallen in love" with fellow lobby psycho Campbell that at one time during the flick shows her legs! (Why?--cluck! cluck!) Oh, how sad the ending! Reminiscent to the Orson Welles days of directing when the "flow" would SUDDENLY run out & the ending would be abrupt...

Rating:
Summary: It's Hard Being Someone's Son
Review: It's amazing to me that this film wasn't released as widely as, say, Memento or even Sexy Beast. It is an absolutely superb film featuring William H. Macy(Fargo) in his finest performance to date as Alex, a second-generation hitman railroaded into the business by his controlling monster of a father, played by Donald Sutherland(JFK).

The first thing that should strike any viewer about this movie is its cast. There isn't really a weak link in this movie, even though it does feature Neve Campbell. Campbell's performance, incidentally, really says something for Henry Bromell's direction: she's actually convincing, cast against type, and gives her strongest performance to date as the troubled love interest Alex meets in his psychiatrist's office.

The extreme circumstances featured in this film -- i.e. a middle-aged hitman seeing his shrink -- are really only a metaphor for the mid-life crises of half of America's middle-aged men, who went unwillingly into their father's businesses and sacrificed their own dreams. This movie is not about a love affair or a hitman; it is about how hard it is to be someone's son in America, about the expectations placed on men in our society and the outlets which we are given and which are denied us to express ourselves. Perhaps Neve Campbell herself delivers the most telling line in the film: "It's easier being a man, don't you think?" to which wife Tracy Ullman replies only with a knowing look, then turns her back.

It's a shame this film was overlooked. Henry Bromell's debut as writer-director on this film proves one of cinema's finest. William H. Macy gives the strongest performance of the year, far outdoing Russell Crowe's unintelligible stone-faced Maximus; it is also Macy's greatest role, the culmination of every unsure forty-something he's played. Do yourself a favor and see this movie. Then go home and love your son.

Rating:
Summary: Decidedly different, definately dark. A real find!
Review: Making a movie is a very risky business. Of the several hundred films that get a theatrical release every year, perhaps just one in three makes a profit. Many hundreds more don't get released at all, although some of these are lucky enough to go direct to video. I love to alert people to great but overlooked movies, and Panic is one of them.

Alex [William H. Macy] is having a mid-life crisis. Without telling his friends or family, he goes to a psychologist for help. When the doctor asks him what he does for a living, Alex replies that he has two jobs. He has a mail order business, and he works for his father. When the shrink asks what he does for Dad, he says that he kills people. Yes, dear old Dad runs a hit man service. And Alex wonders why he feels empty inside! Meanwhile, in the doctor's waiting room, he meets Sarah [Neve Campbell], a strange, desolate and beautiful girl who makes Alex feel alive for the first time in a months. How will Alex solve his crisis? What role will the girl play? Will his wife find out his true profession? Can his twisted father persuade him to go through with the next hit?

What a dumb plot, some of you are thinking, and in lesser hands, it would be. Director and writer Henry Bromell cleverly gives the tale richness and depth. There are several layers to it. Alex may be a bad man in many ways, but loves his wife and his relationship with his young son, played by the extraordinary David Dorfman, is caring and genuine. Their scenes together are poignant and memorable. I suspect that the story is meant to be allegorical. The hit man theme is there to show the extraordinary lengths a sons can go to please his father, no matter how cruel and ruthless that father might be. Even the most dysfunctional family can have unbreakable bonds and twisted loyalties.

Panic is greatly helped by its fine cast. I doubt William H. Macy is capable of a bad performance. The often underrated Neve Campbell gives substance to a character who would be a joke in the hands of a lesser actress. Donald Sutherland is one of my favorites and is perfect here. No one can make a smile look as menacing as he can. Tracy Ullman is believable as Alex's ernest but insecure wife.

Panic was well received by critics and audiences at the 2000 Sundance Film Festival. Later, at a test screening, the audience did not like the ending, so the distributor got cold feet and shelved it. Such is the logic of Hollywood.

Rating:
Summary: Brilliantly Done
Review: Ok, it stars out kind of slow for about the first 15 minutes. After that you get this highly intriguing story about a seemingly normal guy (William H. Macy) who is considering an affair with a younger beautiful woman (Neve Cambell). Oh yeah, did I mention that Macy is a second generation hitman, and Cambell is a lesbian??? Excellent performance by Tracy Ulman as Macy's wife also. Well worth the watch.