Review of Panic Room

Panic Room (2002)
2/10
Very disappointing
5 April 2002
I expected a much better film from Fincher. How on earth can this film have an IMDB rating of 7.5? Fincher did pretty good with a bad script, but that is where he failed. A good director is supposed fix a bad script, plug the holes, smooth over the rough spots; this he did not do. Even if all the implausibles were removed (which could have been done), the story gives us nothing to cheer about. We don't connect emotionally with the characters. That was also true in Fight Club, but it didn't matter because the characters there were quirky and interesting, not so in Panic Room. I also dislike films that are darkly lit all the way through. And in this case, fairly monochromatic. Pure blue flame? It looked like CG electricity. Have the guts to shoot in black and white if you want that effect.

I must say, Forest Whitaker is the perfect good badguy. Thanks for casting Ann Magnuson. She deserves bigger and better roles.

Oh well, even a good director is bound to have a misfire or two. Fincher is lucky. This one will make money.
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