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Movie Review: Panic Room (Fincher)

It had been a while since I had seen a suspense movie, and I like Jodie Foster, and this had gotten good reviews, so I thought why not try it. And it turned out to be about what I expected. A decent suspense movie, all set (except for brief scenes at the beginning and end) within a big, creepy house in Manhattan. It was all very standard setup - show us the house as they do a walk-through so we can get a feel for the layout that will become all-important in later scenes. Establish the basic character relationships as soon as possible - recently divorced but very protective mother, slightly rebellious teen, young hot-headed criminal, sympathetic criminal, mysterious but violent criminal. Nothing too new! The direction was all pretty reasonable, doing a fine job of letting us know where people are and what is going on at all times. Sometimes it might have been a little too clear - pointing out things the characters should have done when they had a chance. But that is part of the joy of suspense movies, right? Trying to figure out what you could have done better. I would be ok if people gave up using the "camera follows the path of something" shots, though - sometimes it was ok here, but it is really starting to be overdone. "Clever" camera work does not count as good camera work. The acting was all pretty decent, but I usually like Jodie Foster and Forest Whitaker (I'll try to ignore that whole Battlefield Earth thing). I thought Jared Leto did a surprisingly entertaining job in his role (which seemed to be a typical Jason Lee role) which makes me wonder, after Requiem for a Dream if he might be an OK actor. I don't think the daughter character was as well constructed as the other characters, since she really didn't have much to do and we never got a good feel for what was going on with her. Otherwise, though, it was a fine movie for what it was. Maybe not as thought-provoking or discussion-inducing as Fincher's other movies, but this is arguably a more solid effort.