Since Sept. 11, many Americans have been paranoid and some have felt like prisoners in their own home. After the government issued warnings of future terrorist attacks, living with fear came a little closer to home than it used to be. Security alarms, television monitors, phone tap detectors and dead bolts are a few options of securing your home from unwanted theft or vandalism. Are these safety precautions being used for actual risk or the perception of risk?
Panic Room asks this question. Newly divorced from her wildly rich husband, Meg Altman (Jodie Foster) and her daughter Sarah (Kristen Stewart) buy a brownstone mansion in New York. The mother and daughter duo move into the monstrosity and embark on the most frightening night of their lives. The previous owner was a paranoid and eccentric millionaire, who had a steel panic room installed for him to hide in if someone came to steal his money. The room has multiple television screens, supplies, a separate phone line, its own ventilation system and a toilet.
As Meg and Sarah drift to sleep on their first night in the new house, three burglars arrive and are shocked that the new owners have already moved in.
These are the classic movie villains: Junior (Jared Leto), the young and stupid one, Burnham (Forest Whitaker), the good guy stealing to provide for his family and Raoul (Dwight Yoakam), the crazy one. These three guys, in a somewhat comical way, try to figure out how to get the thing they came to steal out of the panic room.
Panic Room really questions the insecurities people have. The previous owner of the house builds a panic room to protect himself, but it ends up hurting Meg and Sarah. The movie proves security is actually a state of mind and there is nothing that can protect you from your own worst fear.
Foster gives an excellent performance as the bitter ex-wife of a man who cheated on her. The Academy Award winner has one of the most expressive faces in Hollywood, and a mere glance from the camera will set the mood for any movie she is in.
The character she plays in Panic Room is similar to her role in The Accused (1988), because she is so innocent and weak until she finds her inner strength and does what needs to be done.
Kristen Stewart gives an excellent performance as well. Foster and Stewart are one of the most believable mother and daughter teams I have ever seen. The two have great chemistry and look exactly alike. Stewart, who is a newcomer, has an excellent future in acting — especially if she hangs around with Foster.
Whitaker, veteran actor, director and producer, is his usual nice-guy character in the film, which is great because it works for him. Leto, known for his heartthrob character on the short-lived teen series My So Called Life, is not a hunk in Panic Room. He plays a slimy, wimpy and dumb thief, who is really bad at his job, along with his life. The big surprise in this movie is Yoakam. Former co-star to Billy Bob Thornton in Sling Blade, Yoakam gives another great performance, proving music is not his only game.
Writer David Koepp made an emphasis that dialog was not the key element in Panic Room. The lines were quite choppy and the movie was full of cheap one-liners. However, the cinematography was quite good and brings the movie to another dimension. Conrad W. Hall, who also served on movies like American Beauty, Sleepy Hollow and Fight Club, has an excellent eye. One device he used was letting the audience view parts of the movie through the television monitors in the panic room. This technique gave the film more depth.
Overall, Panic Room is an entertaining and timely movie that is worth going to see.
