Enter PANIC ROOM, a dark, sharp thriller which showcases the talents of Jodie Foster and Forest Whitaker in a cat-and-mouse game between the new owner of a house and the builder of its security systems who is hoping to steal something the previous owner left behind: Whitaker and his crew break in, thinking the new occupants haven't yet moved in, and Foster has time to rush herself and her daughter into the house's Panic Room, an extremely secure high-tech saferoom: the room keeps the intruders out, but it also keeps their intended victims in.

Foster is brilliant as the claustrophobic mom who will do anything to keep her daughter safe, but the film comes up short when she makes choices that most of the audience will perceive as short-sighted at best and stupid at worst. Foster overcomes this script shortcoming by playing the choices convincingly--you can read the conundrum in her face and believe in her reasoning when she makes the poor choice.

It's a credit to Whitaker that his "villain" character remains sympathetic throughout--he's not the sort of terrorist-cum-robber that made Alan Rickman famous in DIE HARD. You find yourself hoping that some accord can be reached--that he can just get what he wants and get out safely. Unfortunately, his psychotic partners-in-crime make that an impossibility.

Fincher has always done an excellent job of taking us to the dark side of things, leading the camera into places that the human eye could never see. I'm not sure PANIC ROOM will have the staying power and rewatchability of FIGHT CLUB or SE7EN, but it's definitely the sort of taut thriller that's been missing from the A-movie circuit for years. Not quite a Popcorn Movie...more like a hint of Summer in early Spring.

The premise when first looked at is rather simple. Recently divorced mother Meg Altman (Jodie Foster) moves into a huge new house on Manhattan's West Side, which is not only enormous but has something most places don't; a panic room. This room is solid concrete, on top of steel, fixed out with surveillance cameras; in short nothing can get in, or out.

On their first night Meg and daughter Sarah (Kirsten Stewart), whose relationship has been strained since the divorce, are awoken by three criminals (Jared Leto, Dwight Yokam, and the socially minded Forest Whitaker) who are hell bent in entering the house. Thus Meg and Sarah run into the panic room hidden behind a mirror in the master bedroom, expecting the thieves will ransack the house and leave. The plot twists from here, as the criminals actually want the 22 million dollars in bearer bonds hidden in a floor safe in the panic room. What ensues is an intense pseudo game of `hide and seek' with Meg and Sarah trapped by the three criminals.

The characters that Fincher establishes are amazing. The film wouldn't have the same feel if Nicole Kidman (who was due to be cast) were in the role of Meg. It is the dichotomy Foster portrays between a sensitive, maternal Female, who is forced to react in a very masculine way. In this sense Foster plays a character much like Clarice in `Silence of the lambs', who's femininity in brought to the forefront but extenuous circumstances.

Perhaps the single thing that strikes the audience and appeals to them is Fincher's mind blowing camera work. He uses the camera like another member of the cast, as the importance he imbues on the camera. The viewer is taken place conventional rigs could never take the viewer before. Into locks, between banisters, even a spiraling shot down the staircase that can only be resembled to Hitchcocks shot in `Vertigo'. David Fincher is a director who truly understands film as a visual medium. Lets face it there are times where his idea's could have flopped in `Panic Room' when an entire room is reconstructed with CG then the camera moves through it could have looked really hokey... but it works to great effect.

My only criticism of the film is sometimes the pacing slows down a bit. Fincher's work always moves very quickly and I feel at times the middle of the film lagged a little; otherwise it was great.

`Panic Room' is a fantastic piece of modern cinema. A great thriller that will keep the audience of the edge of their seats. Fincher's masterful direction coupled with brilliant acting allows the film to be a stand out as one of the best this year.

How interesting...Meg is right. Behind a secret wall lies the infamous "Panic Room", designed it seems, to withstand (and I am partially joking here) an atomic bomb explosion. The Room is entirely self-sufficient, able to operate and sustain life independently from the outside world. Everything needed to survive is packaged neatly behind the heavy steel doors (think War Games). In fact, the presence of the panic room is so omnious and claustrophobic, it becomes an acting character itself.

How lucky then, are Sarah and mother Meg when a group of burglers, headed by Burnham, (Whitaker)...break into the home in search of a cache of money supposedly hidden in the panic room. And how unlucky are the two women when it comes to our realisation that Burnham used to be a designer and architect of "panic rooms" himself. He is confident that he can break into the room, using his knowledge of a panic room's inherent design.

The real game becomes a slow evolution from -Can they escape?- and -Will they get in?-, cat and mouse style, to who is most strategic. Burnham may seem to have the upper hand, but Meg is quick-witted and familiar with her own home. She plays her cards well and it is exciting to see her instinctual skills come to life.

As the trailers of "The Panic Room" now entice you with more and more scenes, take them seriously with their new motto: bring a friend with you to see "The Panic Room", because you will need to hold on to someone. Great advice. I saw this movie alone and "The Panic Room" nearly gave me a panic attack!

Five stars for edge-of-your-seat action, suspense, fantasic performances, and the last minute additon of Jodie Foster to play Meg. I really don't think Nicole Kidman has the muscle or strength to pull of the physical requirements of a movie like this (She had to bow out due to an injury). Bravo Jodie on surfacing to the limelight again to make another spectacular film! I believe this is her first film since "The King and I". She proves even a Hollywood Mommy can kick [behind] in a physically demanding role. I am already impatient waiting for her next move in the film world. This movie is fabulous and could be a great date flick...especially since you will feel it necessary to grab hold of someone during the intense scenes. Enjoy. I have no doubt you will.