‘Panic Room’

Starring: Jodie Foster, Forest Whitaker and Jared Leto

Director: David Fincher

*** (out of five)

Acclaimed director David Fincher is the master of the unconventional.

Moviegoers first took notice of Fincher’s distinctive style with the 1995 release of ‘Seven,’ which shocked audiences with its murder-by-sin plot and head-in-the-box conclusion.

He followed that up in 1997 with the Michael Douglas flick ‘The Game,’ a twisted take on the mystery genre that throws surprise curveballs at every turn. And then of course, there is ‘Fight Club,’ which has become somewhat of a cult hit for our generation.

Fincher returns to theaters this weekend with the release of ‘Panic Room.’ He has managed to take a relatively simple tale — the story of a mother and daughter terrorized by a gang of robbers — and craft it into a dark and effective thriller. Call it ‘Home Alone’ for grown-ups.

Considering all the production problems this flick faced, nobody would have blamed Fincher if he was in a panic about ‘Panic Room.’ Original star Nicole Kidman was forced to step down after a knee injury. Kidman’s replacement, Jodie Foster, was pregnant during shooting and the pregnancy began to show. Fortunately for Fincher, none of this behind-the-scenes drama is evident in the final product.

Backed by an engrossing script, strong cast performance and a fantastic set (which really becomes a character in and of itself), ‘Panic Room’ is pure cinema candy that will satisfy an audience’s craving for thrills.

When we first meet Meg Altman (Foster, last seen in ‘Anna and the King’), she is clearly trying to put on a brave front in the face of a shattering divorce from her cheating husband. House shopping with her teen-age daughter Sarah in Manhattan (newcomer Kristen Stewart), they are taken to see a luxurious brownstone. But something seems strange about the new place.

‘Is this room smaller than it should be?’ Meg asks in one of the bedrooms. Her real estate agent then shows her the panic room, a 20th century bomb shelter to protect homeowners from robbers. It has all the latest in-home security: a separate phone line, emergency supplies and surveillance monitors. The room is crafted out of thick steel.

Little does Meg know how soon she will have to utilize the panic room. On their first night in the house, three rain-soaked intruders enter the brownstone. Burnham (Forest Whitaker, ‘Phenomenon’) is the money-strapped panic room designer, Junior (Jared Leto, ‘Fight Club’) is the black sheep of the former owner’s family, and Raoul (Dwight Yoakam) is the gun-toting thug of the group.

Having come in search of a fortune, they are disheartened when Meg and Sarah lock themselves in the panic room, the very spot the money is hidden. Forced into a deadly game of cat-and-mouse, Meg must do what she can to protect herself and her daughter while the robbers struggle to foil her rescue attempts.

Foster is wonderful as Meg, a woman who has been crippled emotionally and must find the inner strength to save her life as well as her daughter’s. She ends up seeking her husband’s help at one point in the film, but there is no doubt that she is the hero of this tale. Foster manages to convey both Meg’s fragility as well as her bravery in a believable way.

Of the robbers, Whitaker shines in the most developed role: a family man forced into crime to keep his family together. Bound by morals, his role within the brownstone is always in question. He is impressive throughout. Leto provides some well-needed comic relief while Yoakam is effective as the robber you pray will get his comeuppance before the film is over.

Stewart also does well as Sarah, whether she’s instructing her mother how to curse out the robbers or when she’s suffering from her diabetes. She portrays her character in a realistic manner, never going over-the-top when it comes to her illness.

The strength of ‘Panic Room’ is its simplicity. Written by David Koepp (‘Mission: Impossible’), the film restricts itself to one location and five main characters and the audience won’t ask for anything more. The narrow focus is engrossing, and there’s enough humor laced between the thrills to keep level the dark mood.

Fincher uses some wonderful cinematography to give the audience a full view of the film’s environment. Whether it’s tracking the robber’s progress by whizzing the camera through floors or splitting the screen when, these fresh angles drive up the suspense.

Panicking over what movie to catch this weekend? Have no fear — your ‘Room’ is now available.

Christopher Reilly is a sophomore magazine major. E-mail him at passpopcorn@yahoo.com.

Published on March 27, 2002 at 12:00 pm