Few
film makers in the last decade have been quite as innovative as David Fincher.
His films not only resonate with a social conscience, but manage to be extremely
moody as well. This includes Alien 3, a movie many people dislike, but one I've
really grown to admire over the years. With Seven (my favorite of his films),
The Game (one that didn't totally win me over) and Fight Club (absolutely brilliant),
I always come to expect a certain level of excellence from a Fincher film. Alas,
his new thriller The Panic Room is a disappointment.
In
The Panic Room, Jodie Foster is Meg, a recently divorced woman struggling to put
her life back together. Along with her daughter Sarah (played well by Kristen
Stewart), the two start anew by moving into a huge New York brownstone, which
Meg is able to afford thanks to financial help provided by her wealthy ex. The
house is much too big for the two, but this hardly matters. The home includes
several rooms and even comes equipped with an elevator. While getting the grand
tour, Meg is introduced to a high tech security measure known as The Panic Room.
If burglars enter the house, it's residents can be protected within the confines
of The Panic Room, a small area encased in steal, equipped with video monitors,
various supplies, and an emergency phone. As fate would have it, Meg and Sarah
have intruders their first night in the new home, forcing them to test out the
security system. The three villains in question are portrayed by Forest Whitaker
(Burnham), Jared Leto (Junior), and Dwight Yoakam (Raoul), and while their motive
has been given away by many reviewers and even in some of the advertisements,
I wont give it away here. I will say that it's nothing terribly surprising nor
does it come with much of an explanation. What follows, is a nail biting series
of cat and mouse chases as Meg and Sarah strive to stay alive.
Jodie
Foster is terrific here and you'd never guess that she entered this project at
the last minute when Nicole Kidman was forced to pull out because of an injury
(of course the Australian beauty does have a voice cameo midway through the film).
While Foster's Meg is a character we've seen before, she adds much humanity and
realism to the role of a mother who will do anything to protect her family. Kristen
Stewart is equally effective as daughter Sarah. I always appreciate a smart youngster
in a film, and Stewart manages to be both intelligent and human. For the most
part, the three villains are stock with exception of Whitaker who adds much depth
and humanity as Burnham. He has an intelligence factor sorely lacking in Leto
and Yoakam, of course it could be argued that that's the whole point. Leto is
sort of a twitchy spastic type, while Yoakam is chilling as a murderous loose
cannon. I was really hoping for something new. Some kind of interesting edge with
the villains, and sadly, we've seen these bad guys in several other films.
David
Fincher is still a master, setting the stage with an interesting credits sequence
featuring three dimensional titles, overlapping huge New York skyscrapers. And
while the majority of The Panic Room takes place within the house, Fincher makes
more than the best of a situation. He and his cinematographers do some of the
most amazing work you will ever see. The camera seemingly floats throughout the
house, breezing through stairway rails, tea kettle handles and walls. This is
really amazing stuff.
The
big problem with Panic Room is David Koepp's routine approach to the material.
His screenplay is strictly by the numbers, throwing in several routine cliches.
There are things in this movie that are really aggravating. One of my biggest
gripes deals with the video cameras that are placed visibly throughout the house.
Why not destroy them. If I were a crook, it's the first thing I would do. Of course,
this is dealt with towards the final act of the film, and Raoul even makes a dumb
remark about it, presumably because Koepp realized that someone would probably
question it. You'll know the scene I'm speaking of when you see it. Also, Sarah's
diabetes come into play in a major way, but Meg's apparent claustrophobia problem
is only touched on, probably because Koepp thought that that would have been taking
things too far. It's the only hint of restraint he practices in this screenplay,
and for all we know, maybe there was more but Fincher chose to cut it out of the
film. Koepp's attempt at hip dialogue usually fails here. There are little references
made at the likes of Elmore Leonard, Joe Pesci and The Beatles, but they feel
stilted and forced. While there are certainly moments of tension in The Panic
Room, most of thrills feel telegraphed, and there are very few surprises.
Thankfully,
The Panic Room is moderately enjoyable. You can thank Fincher and fine acting
for this. Still, I come to expect more from Fincher because his past films have
been so effective. This time, it's obvious he was more interested in style over
substance. While The Panic Room works as a simplistic routine thriller, I found
myself wanting more. Maybe my expectations were set a bit high, but given that
this is a David Fincher film, how could they not be.
