I am an unbelievable fan of David Fincher. His is a directing talent capable of coaxing incredible performances and creating an unequalled texture in any shot. I am also a great fan of Jodie Foster. Here is a multi-talented lady, brave in her selections of films to helm, and smart in her acting choices. As both these power players are major parts of Panic Room, it comes as a major disappointment that it just doesn’t work.

Panic Room is the story of Meg and Sarah Altman. Recently single, Meg finds the perfect new home, a beautifully constructed brownstone in New York. As with most real estate transactions the problems within are hidden from the purchasers, namely that the recently deceased billionaire who had occupied the home was extemeley paranoid, and so made the business decision to bury some of his zillions inside the house, and the surviving relatives are hungry to get their hands on it. On the Altman’s first night in their new home, thieves break in to get their hands on the fortune that is concealed in the one place Meg and Sarah go to hide.

Jodie Foster (Little Man Tate, Taxi Driver) stars as the newly single mother Meg, putting in a nearly exceptional performance. As a parent, it was very easy to put myself in her shoes. I empathized with the fear, with the rage she would have felt at her child being threatened. The problem that overwhelms an otherwise excellent performance are the brain farts that conflict with the profile of an otherwise intelligent woman. To me, it makes no sense that a person can be intelligent enough to cause chemical reactions with a MacGyver quantity of materials, and in the same breath be completely surprised that criminals threatening her child and herself may not be always up front with her. Smart enough to figure out a way to hook up the phone line to the panic room once trapped inside it. Not smart enough to have done so before she moved in. Foster has a brilliant scene of rage that erupts from fear to an animal fury when her daughter is closed in with the intruders. It’s a typical flash of director Fincher’s talent (and a bit of a tribute to Sam Peckinpah’s “Straw Dogs”) that when pushed too far Meg and those who are attempting to dominate her switch places, with her becoming the aggressor. This nice device aside, Meg’s blundering moments are far too numerous to make her merely a human being under stress, and more a person with the flukiest moments of strength.

Jared Leto (Fight Club) plays the frenetic leader of the pack of would be thieves; Junior. Leto does create an interesting character, full of life. The annoyance being that he doesn’t blend at all with Fincher’s dark atmosphere. Junior is, (strangely enough) the most likeable personality in Panic Room but as he is playing the role of the leader of three men attempting to rob from, and murder an innocent woman and child Leto seems miscast, and the audience feels guilty for enjoying his performance.

Forest Whitaker (The Hand That Rocks the Cradle, Species) plays Burnham, the brains of the operation. Since Burnham constructs panic rooms, Junior brings him along to break into the ultimate in home security devices. Problems arise when Burnham refuses to take part in any activity that might harm Meg and Sarah. Whitaker plays Burnham as a gentle soul who only delves into extreme actions when bullied. Whitaker and Fincher handle this character perfectly , keeping in their own vision, instead of what I suspect focus groups were screaming for in terms of the a happy ending. Very nicely done.

Leaping from nicely done to the other end of the spectrum, enter Dwight Yoakam (The Minus Man, The Newton Boys) in the most vicious role in this film, that of the mysterious Raoul. The problems here are many, everything from not being able to leap over the hurdle of someone named Dwight, playing someone named Raoul, to how incredibly, indescribably, AWFUL his performance was. Yoakam, (though it is not exactly my genre of choice) is a skilled musician, and should NOT be expanding into the field of film. In his every onscreen moment, from his interactions with Meg and Sarah, to bullying Burnham he is utterly and hopelessly outclassed, making him look like he’s just not trying, and everyone else tone down their abilities to try to make the film seem more balanced.

I have been a fan of David Fincher’s pacing and visual style since Se7en and will be one all through his career, for he is innovative enough to form his own visual style and not compromise it to big budget outlines. The fault here doesn’t fall on Fincher’s shoulders for Panic Room’s lack of intensity. That blame gets placed squarely on the shoulders of screenwriter David Koepp for his ambiguous character development, and Yoakam’s lacklustre turn. Panic Room is worth a watch for Foster, Kristen Stewart (The Safety of Objects) turn as Sarah Altman, and to consume New York city as only Fincher can show it to you. However, there will be nothing lost by saving your money, and waiting until it’s available on the small screen to take it home.

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