Panic Room [DVD] [2002]

This film does not disappoint, the action starts not long after the film has started and keeps you glued to the screen all the way through.
i wont tell you what the stories about as you can read any of the other reviews to find that out.
There are loads of bonus features in this 3 disc special edition and 3 easter eggs and 2 hidden featurettes (these arent easter eggs )
the first easter egg is on disc 2. if you go to "pre-production" and then at the next menu click "prep". after this just put the cursor over "safe cracking school" (dont click on it) press the right button and you will find a featurette called "real safe rooms"
the second is again on the 2nd disc. click onh "production" in the menu and put the cursor over "main menu" then press right. now press enter to watch "breaking the mirror"
the third easter egg is on the last disc. click on visual effects, then go to the fourth page of featurettes and put the cursor on "CGI propane tank".
the two hidden featurettes are hidden inside a featurette. both on the 3rd disc - ones on 3rd page of visual effects - press enter on "the flashlight" a couple of minutes into it, it will say at the bottom of the screen press enter and you will see "anamorphic lens flares"
the second - 3rd page of visual effects - select "x-ray floor" and a couple of minutes into it press enter and you will see a shot from the film "the lodger".
i think the acting in this film is brilliant and creates suspense, and this is what you call a special edition not like the ring - collectors edition. most normal editions are better than that!!

How can a movie about two people trapped in a high tech little hovel possibly make a good movie? i hear you cynics cry. Those of you who ask this have clearly not actually seen Panic Room because it is actually one of the best thrillers i have seen for a long time.
The plot concerns a mother and daughter who are placed in a deadly game of cat and mouse when three intruders break into their new home. They decide to hole up in the panic room of the title, an impregnable fortress which unfortunately, is what the three criminals have their sights set on. What follows is two hours of seriously tense thriller as the three criminals try to get the pair out of the panic room, whilst at the same time, it's occupants are trying to find some way to rid themselves of their uninvited guests.
The casting on this film is quite superb and the characters themselves add to the tension. Mother Meg Altman is ably played by Jodie Foster who plays her character very convincingly with a real sense of desperation and fear. Her daughter (played by Kristen Stewart) throws another element into the mix with her illness making her a ticking time bomb trapped with Foster. The three criminals are also superb and their different personalities work excellently together. Burnham (Forrest Whitaker) is the security expert trying to break into his own work and the brains at work to bring the whole thing top a safe conclusion. His efforts are hampered by the mysterious Raoul, who doesn't seem to care and looks constantly intimidating. The criminals are rounded off by Junior (Jared Leto), the kid with visions on a get-rich-quick scheme that quickly turns into something that he finds difficult to handle.
The tension is consistently played up as the 5 characters move about the house coming up with ploys and then there follows a pulse-pounding race by their opposite side to prevent the others plans. It's very intense stuff!
The film itself is typical Fincher fare with some beautifully creative roaming camera work and a very dark atmosphere, but perhaps where this film falls down is in it's DVD form.
These days, any DVD that doesn't appear on 2 discs is shunned and this may be so with Panic Room. It's extras are almost non-existent and it lacks any cast commentaries, outtakes, deleted scenes, or frankly anything of interest.
This package is let down by a lack of DVD bonuses so you may be better off with good old VHS. However, don't let this discourage you from the film itself which is nothing short of stunning, just consider your format carefully.

Meg Altman (Jodie Foster) and her diabetic daughter move into a large brownstone house including a panic room implausibly situated adjoining the master bedroom, surely the weight of such a massive steel construction would have to be rooted firmly to the ground, still the plot needs it in a vulnerable position.

This well crafted thriller moves along at a good pace as mother and daughter seal themselves in the panic room whilst three intruders search for something, located of course in the panic room.

The drama is somewhat spoilt by the naïve incompetence of the gang except for Burnham (Forest Whitaker playing one of his soft centred toughies to perfection), and the odds seemed perversely stacked in favour of the mother and daughter.

Well acted and directed this is a good but not outstanding thriller.