Ok, embarrassing
confession time. I almost saw this film in cinema years ago. I walked out in
the middle. It is one of about 3 films I have walked out of, because , a true
film fan as it were, I am always curious as to what is going to happen in the
end, even though the film is not “going well” for me. I remember I was with
friends at the time; we all seem to have agreed… Although to be fair, I don’t
exactly remember what our objection was. But at a guess, it may just have been
that the tension just got to us. This, people, is one of the most “toe-curling”
films I have watched in a very, very long time… But then again, with David
Fincher at the helm, I honestly cannot expect anything less.
Newly
divorced Meagan (Jodie Foster) and her sassy teenage daughter Sarah (Kristen
Steward – otherwise known as Bella Swan, this was long before the Twilight saga
of course) have just moved into their new home – and what a home it is too!
Snapped up at a bargain, it is a three story house that once belonged to an
eccentric millionaire. It comes equipped with all the mod-cons but also an
elevator and a Panic Room. Now for those of us who didn’t know, a panic room is
a high security room you can lock yourself in if intruders break in. There is
no way in for the intruders and you have a secure line, not connected to the
main landline in the home, you can call the police with. Except of course, if
you are Meagan and forget to hook up the line. This does not come in handy at
all when, on their first night there, intruders break into the house and Meagan
and Sarah, terrified, lock themselves in the panic room. There are, however,
two problems. Firstly, Sarah is diabetic and there is no insulin in the panic
room either so unless they can somehow get out
and get to her medication, she will die. Secondly, these aren’t any old
robbers who will just go through the family possessions and leave. They are
looking for something very specific, and as luck would have it this thing is
hidden in… You guessed it. The panic room.
As a side
note, I just want to add that the intruders are played by Jared Leto, Forrest
Whitaker and Dwight Yoakam (country music star and a damn good actor in case
you hadn’t heard of him). Now, if there
is one thing Fincher is an absolute master of, it is thrillers. The tension
creeps up on you so quickly and so inexorably, you are on edge pretty much from
beginning to end, even in the sequences when you can pretty much guess what
will happen next because, you know… I mean what if it doesn’t? This is
compounded by Fincher’s mastery of the “in the meanwhile” type shots. You know,
when you are told and shown, in various ways what two different groups in the
film are doing at the same instant, that kind of thing always gives me the
chills, especially if it is used as well as Fincher uses it. I watched this
film as part of a personal project more than anything else and never, ever, in
all my born days did I expect to enjoy it so much. It left me, as most Fincher
films tend to, mentally exhausted and in need of watching something you know,
simple. Easy to follow. Just to rest my brain – and my cardio vascular system.
If you want a movie to make your evening fly by, this is the one folks – go
right for it!
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