Panic Room

A casual viewer will hardly appreciate David Fincher's brilliant camerawork and the subtle noir atmosphere of the entire film. The script is indeed simple, but the main characters are brilliantly portrayed and the settings of the large villa, bad weather, and Jodie Foster's believable acting contribute a lot. For fans of the genre and Fincher's films, it is truly an exceptional work. For most others, however, it will likely be just an average cat and mouse game with a slightly exaggerated ending. (01/11/2003)

A suspenseful and novel plot. There is no Fincher's darkness this time, "only" a very solid thriller, spiced up with a few gimmicks (the camera passing through the ear of the teapot). Jodie Foster is great as always, and it’s nice to see Forest Whitaker again, even in a villain role, but with a good heart. It couldn’t have been any other way with him :) (13/01/2003)

First of all, I praise the great performance of Jodie Foster, who actually doesn't even need to heartbreakingly cry and wail to express her despair and stress, the look in her terrified eyes is enough. And Fincher's precise and, as always, brilliant direction orchestrates her acting and gives the film a typically dense and uncomfortable atmosphere that gradually builds up until it finally culminates in a powerful and unforgettable finale. I thought Panic Room would be a lot weaker than the best Fincher films, but I was wrong. This guy has done another great job. 90% (17/08/2011)

David Fincher knows how to dose the tension in his thrillers. It is always based on a great idea and when it starts unfolding, it is clear he really enjoys his work, scene after the scene. When I was watching Panic Room, I was quite surprised why he is currently stuck with movies which quite contradict the things he is best at. However, I enjoyed this movie. I wish they would make more harsh and exciting thrillers like this in Hollywood. But I have a feeling that movies like this one are slowly becoming rare in the States. (11/02/2019)

David Fincher's beloved toy for his entertainment, which raises credit in three aspects: the perfect atmosphere of constant unease in the house, from which the camera only emerges sporadically, the ambiguous character played by Forest Whitaker, about whom you cannot guess which side they are on until the last minute, and most importantly, Jodie Foster, who can play with surprising bravado the kinds of hysterical scenes most of her colleagues would break their teeth on. Because of her, those three stars are better, but it needed more twists and script ideas. As it is, the flyovers, details, and slow-motion shots get lost in their own purposelessness several times. (13/08/2007)