PANIC ROOM (***)
Try making a movie about two people locking themselves in a box, before three others do everything they can to get them out of it. Sounds mediocre and not very interesting. Now try to making it a suspenseful psychological thriller, without cheat scares, cheap dialogue, or cliche moments. Impossible you say? Not when you have two terrific actors as your leads, and a great filmmaker at the helm. Despite a commonplace plot, Jodie Foster (THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS), Forest Whitaker (GHOST DOG) and director David Fincher (SE7EN) pull it off with PANIC ROOM.
The film revolves around the pair of Meg (Jodie Foster) and Sarah Altman (Kristen Stewart), the former a rich divorcee, the latter her teenage daughter (I only found out she was the daughter after hearing her name). They move into a spacious four-story Manhattan residence abandoned by its former owner. As they are taken a tour of the premises by its agent, they are shown its panic room -- a mini-stronghold of sorts with its own supplies, utilities, and security system, where the occupants can lock themselves in in times of danger.
As they spend the first night in their new home, three intruders stealthily break in. The most prominent of the group is Burnham (Forest Whitaker) a security expert who builds panic rooms (including this one). Junior (Jared Leto) is the brains behind the group (which isn't saying much because Burnham has smarter ideas), while Raoul (Dwight Yoakam) is the muscle. These three are lured by accounts that there are millions hidden in the house's panic room. And it doesn't help them that Meg discovers they've broken in. She throws Sarah and herself in the room and the cat and mouse games begin.
The movie and its leading character Meg have one thing in common, they have very little (but precious) resources, and they make the most out of them. I was surprised how much mileage they were able to pump out of this story. Other filmmakers rely on gimmicks to keep their audience interested, and would probably shy away from a project such as this. But this film is pure proficiency, and it shows in two main aspects.
First, the characters. Aside from the two leads (whom I'll get to in a minute), I found two especially unanticipated performances. I've always thought of Jared Leto (GIRL INTERRUPTED) as another pretty boy, but he surprised me here with his appearance as a sulking baddie in search for some cash. He pretty much changes my mind about him here. And Dwight Yoakam, who is one of the most influential country music artists, shows he's more than just another singer with a hat and guitar. He is one scary dude in this one. There is one cringing scene where he unflinchingly beats a hostage to an inch of his life (it'll make you want to look away). For a while, I thought I was watching Ted Levine (Buffalo Bill in THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS).
We all know how good Jodie Foster is. She's a two-time Academy Award winner for best actress (she's probably the best actress of the last two decades not named Meryl Streep). And here, she shows why. Her performance can be described as scrappy, in every sense of the word. She displays a dogged determination to get through her crisis, and the smarts to match the plots of her foe (and she looks splendid too!). After seeing so many thrillers where men secrete so much testosterone, it's refreshing to see a woman use her wits without flashing her... uh... smile.
You've probably seen him in a number of films. He's had roles ranging from a British soldier to a mentally imbalanced assassin. In each of his pictures, he emerges as one of (if not the most) its most memorable characters. Yet, he is one of the most unrecognized and underappreciated actors in the business. When is Hollywood going to give Forest Whitaker his due? He gives a unique persona to Foster's nemesis. An intelligent yet caring antagonist, the bad guy who isn't really a villain, a desperate man with the proper tools in an unforeseen situation. Here's one unlikely enemy that at times we actually root and are concerned for.
The second aspect which makes this film worth seeing is its atmosphere. Many blockbusters spend over a hundred million dollars on a film with most of it going to special effects. Some (if not most) of these attempts result in FX overkill, like in STAR WARS: EPISODE II. Yes, the CGI effects were impressive, but they were numbing. Characters seemed out of their element when placed against virtual creatures and backdrops, lessening the impact its supposed to make. There is such a thing as too much special effects, or a lack of skill in using them (CHARLIE'S ANGELS is a perfect example). In PANIC ROOM, the blending of virtual and physical images and shots is perfect. We see the camera swooping in and out (or seem to) of rooms, crevices, and devices with patience and grim purpose. There are not many CGI graphics here but they serve the movie completely, instead of the other way around as in most films. It also helps when music composed by Howard Shore (THE LORD OF THE RINGS, THE SCORE, SE7EN, & THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS) is understated and consistently unsettling, making it easy for us to feel uneasy.
I can't say it enough, David Fincher is one of the best and most underrated movie directors today. Once again, he shows his mastery of the dark (this guy was probably born in a panic room). Here he shows a visual craftsmanship comparable no less to Stephen Spielberg and John Woo. No director is so able in crafting chill in movies than he (Though THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS got the ball rolling with serial killer movies, his landmark film SE7EN gave it incredible momentum). He also knows how to toy with our tensions by toying with the characters in his films. It's like watching an autopsy specialist dissecting a cadaver. We know that he's an expert, but we're afraid to look. I'm glad though that he seem to be brightening up a bit (with initial and final scenes with warm color).
Seeing this picture is like viewing a parent do his kid's homework. It's a simple task, but he does it so well that he elevates the material better than it should be. Yes, the film's plot has certain holes, but it is aware of them (at one point, one intruder asks, "Why didn't we do that?"). Despite its flaws, the characters play by the rules the film has set as realistically as possible. All the pieces have been put into place, and once the room has been locked, the chess game starts. It's entrancing how each character seems to be trapped in their common situation by the choices they make, and they have no alternative but to play it out. By the end of PANIC ROOM, you'll be wondering if you could have made it through those same decisions.
Trivia: Nicole Kidman was supposed to play Meg Altman but pulled out due to injury. At one point in the film, Jodie Foster's character has to make a phone call to her ex-husband. The phone is answered by the ex's new woman who is voiced by... Nicole Kidman.
Posted by FLIPCRITIC at May 21, 2002 12:00 AM