Panic Room (2002)
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Panic Room Movie Review
Panic Room is a 2002 home invasion thriller film directed by David Fincher and starring Jodie Foster and Kristen Stewart. It’s a simple, but very effective genre flick.
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“Why the hell didn’t we do that?“
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Meg and Sarah hide in a panic room in their house when intruders break in. Unfortunately for them, the intruders want something that is hidden inside the room and will stop at nothing to claim it. This is the only Fincher movie that I haven’t seen by now. After seeing it, I wasn’t too impressed, but it’s such an enjoyable genre piece that I’ve had a blast with it.
It’s one of those movies that you turn on to have fun and they do just that for you with no pretensions whatsoever. Well, there are thematically resonant elements here, but those are never too pretentious, but pleasantly subtle in their execution. The thing I loved the most about it is its emphasis on modern technology, something that most modern movies shy away from portraying for some reason (probably the future relevance issue).
Here, home surveillance is wonderfully showcased as both being a positive and being a negative as all technology clearly is. How tech was used here was brilliant, in particular that titular room that was superbly utilized within the context of the story. The film is also very feminist, but in a nuanced and far from aggressive manner, which I appreciated.
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It was crazy seeing Kristen Stewart so early in her career. It was also interesting to realize that both Jodie Foster and Stewart started their careers as children. It was a very cool circumstance and them being brought together here resulted in a very well performed and characterized movie.
These women are very realistic in their portrayal in that they very much fear for their lives, but are still brave when the need arises. The emphasis on maternal instinct within the story was great while both Stewart and Foster excelled in their excellent performances. They weren’t given a whole lot to do here, but what they were given to do, they excelled at it, in particular Foster whose sequence with the policemen was superbly performed throughout.
My main issue with this movie is the inclusion of so many plot holes, in particular in regards to the camera and why they were on all the time. But this is the type of premise that is ripe for plot holes, which is exactly what happened at the end of the day. It’s also an extremely simple movie, but I did not mind that as much as most people did as I would much rather have a simple movie very well executed than a complex one badly done.
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Panic Room is rather messy in its third act. I wished for a better conclusion. Still, the change in the arc for the character played by Forest Whitaker was well done, though highly predictable. I did appreciate that the burglars were fleshed out surprisingly solidly and that each one was different, leading to a fun dynamic between them. Technically speaking, the cinematography is particularly outstanding as the camera moves so flowingly in some sequences that make those moments very meticulously detailed and unique. The directing from Fincher is reliably strong as well.
David Fincher’s Panic Room does have a somewhat messy third act and some plot holes here and there, but it’s mostly a very well executed home invasion thriller that is pleasingly simple in its premise and outstanding in its accomplished cinematography. Jodie Foster and Kristen Stewart are both terrific and the movie is wholly engaging, polished and thematically interesting as it deals with both the negatives and the positives regarding home surveillance systems.
My Rating – 4
