Jodie Foster Movie:

				Salesrank: 162458 Released: February 20, 2007
		Our Price: $105.00
		Used Price: $14.12
		MPAA Rating: R (Restricted) Media: DVD

Editorial Review:
An effective exercise in "confined cinema," Panic Room is a finely crafted thriller that ultimately transcends the thinness of its premise. David Koepp's screenplay is basically Wait Until Dark on steroids, so director David Fincher (Seven, The Game) compensates with elaborate CGI-assisted camera moves, jazzing up his visuals while a relocated New York divorcée (Jodie Foster) and her daughter (Kristen Stewart) fight for their lives against a trio of tenacious burglars (Jared Leto, Forest Whitaker, Dwight Yoakam) in their new Manhattan townhouse. They're safe in a customized, impenetrable "panic room," but the burglars want what's in the room's safe, so mother and daughter (and Koepp and Fincher) must find clever ways to turn the tables and persevere. Suspense and intelligence are admirably maintained, with Foster (who replaced the then-injured Nicole Kidman) riffing on her Silence of the Lambs resourcefulness. It's not as viscerally satisfying as Fincher's previous thrillers, but Panic Room definitely holds your attention. --Jeff Shannon

Panic Room [Region 2] Reviews:
Not the best thriller but an outstanding special edition!
2009-12-01 - I'm a huge fan of David Fincher's work. To me his best movies happen to be "SE7EN", "Fight Club' and "Zodiac". And while "Panic Room" is a good flick it doesn't hold up well to post-viewing analysis.

There is much that can be considered to be quite contrived. For example her daughter who goes into diabetic shock if she doesn't get her emergency injection. Or the typical scene where her ex shows up to try to rescue them. I could go on but those are two examples that remain in my mind. Even the ending is rather anticlimactic in light of what was viewed.

So why watch this if the plot relies on clichés? As Fincher proved in his numerous works he is a master of setting up some very good camera shots and "impossible" camera moves. And while it's all the more obvious that he's relying upon CGI (the shot of the flashlight within the wiring conduit is a prime example of overuse) some are just simply very interesting to view. Such as the opening traveling shot which is essentially a tour of the house. The camera appears to float around from upstairs to downstairs and even pass through the handle of a coffee mug in one unbroken take and is fairly seamless until it "passes through" the floors. The opening credits deserve a quick mention as the titles are laid out among the buildings of New York and perfectly rendered in a silvery font and casting shadows across the cityscape as through they're part of the landscape. It's an attempt at style attempting to cover up the lack of substance, though. It's still neat to view.

The acting is top notch from all involved. The standout is Dwight Yoakam's character who elevates the stakes as a psychotic killer who doesn't mind killing off one of his crew in cold blood. Forrest Whittaker holds his own as he tries to keep the situation from spiraling further out of control as the leader of the burglary gang. And I have no complaints about Jodie Foster's performance. It doesn't come close to her role in "Silence Of The Lambs" but it's still serviceable.

But why the high rating? The three-disc special edition is something worth savoring for anyone who wants to know more about David Fincher and his crew's creative process. Much is revealed as to the use of CGI, the location shooting, sound design and much more. From top to bottom this is one of the most detailed documents of how the movie was put together. Compared to the two-disc edition of "SE7EN" this is even more detailed. The multiple feature commentaries are good but the special features spread across two additional discs are by far more in-depth. Compared to the 2-disc special editions of "Fight Club", "Zodiac" and even "Benjamin Button" I have a feeling that the need to overcompensate was mandatory for a rather average thriller.

So it's an average movie just chock full of neo-noir eye candy. There are much worse "thrillers" out there so it could've been much worse. But the extensive features concerning the filmmaking process are worth viewing. Compared to the original single-disc SuperBit release it's an improvement. If you're a film geek then this is worth a purchase. Everyone else should stick with the single-disc release.


Familiar but Diverting
2009-11-16 - Good version of an ancient formula; worth seeing despite weaknesses. I liked the eponymous panic room, a contemporary variant on the impregnable safe place whose effectiveness depends on the human element. I never mind flaws from the standpoint of the logic of reality, those of dramatic logic are more bothersome and there are some damaging ones here. In fact, one such dramatic flaw pretty well eroded my involvement with a segment of the film. One can't reference the film in the interests of fairness to potential new viewers of the DVD. However, what bothers me will probably not affect others so I discount it in judging the film for their benefit. Adding the pluses and minuses, I believe most people will find it suspenseful entertainment with some good, edge of the seat moments. Not of the first rank, it benefits from the flawed, but, overall, effective performances by Jody Foster, the star, and Kristen Stewart, who plays her diabetic daughter. Hopefully, the excellent actor, Forest Whitaker, was well paid for doing what could be done, with the politically correct role of the African-American criminal.

Lock Yourself Up With This Movie And Enjoy
2009-11-12 - This one's for you,
discriminating movie fan.

Exciting, suspenseful,
and well-acted.
The plot is rather simple,
but it is all that is needed
to set up the situation of
a stand-off in a single setting.

Three men, for various reasons
of their own, break into a
luxurious New York City
brownstone that they expected to
be unoccupied, but a recently
divorced woman and her daughter
had just moved in.
The woman and her daughter attempt
to escape harm by shutting themselves
into a safe ("panic") room built for
just such a situation.
There's big problem.
What the intruders came for is
in that room.
The other problem is that Mom
is claustrophobic and daughter
is diabetic.
Jodie Foster is the mom and does
a very nice job of acting the part.

There are many tense moments
and exciting sequences,
more-so, and perhaps mainly due
to the camera operator.
I thought I had accidentally acquired
a heretofore unknown Dario Argento
film.
The roving camera and the ultra
closeups are fantastic.
View this film for that alone
if the plot doesn't interest you.

I wanted to watch this film again
as soon as I had finished watching
it for the first time.
A sure sign of a winner.
Definitely worth watching once.

note bene:
There is a some explicit violence
and gore such as gun shot wounds
and beatings.


Love this movie
2009-08-31 - There are 5 reasons to watch this movie:
1.Jodie Foster
2.Forest Whitaker
3.Kristen Stewart
4.Dwight Yokham
5.Jared Leto

enough said! 2 of them are Oscar winners, the others were just starting with their long careers.

"Panic Room"SuperBit First Edition
2009-08-28 - I saw this movie a long while back,and thought it was,still is,a great suspense thriller.I only wonder what the film might have been like had they finished the first original version with Nicole Kidman.They were well into filming when Kidman hurt her leg during a stunt/scene that went wrong,that is why the film ended up costing so much to make,they had to re-start from the very beginnnig again,now that Nicole Kidman,while she was recovering from her on set injury,was replaced by Jodie Foster.Both actresses have a differant look,and a differant acting style,to their performances,so it would be very interesting to see all the footage from the first version with Nicole Kidman,and compare it with the second,re-done,re-filmed,final release version with Jodie Foster,I hope they release the very rare first version,which,according to sources,was well over half-way completed,as a matter of fact, just about all of the first version starring Nicole Kidman had actually been completed when she was injured in that very unfortunate on-the-set accident,which forced the film makers to start from scratch.Maybe for a future Blu-Ray release of the movie we will finally get to see this rare shelved footage version,I sincerely hope so!