Panic Room

2002 Mystery & Suspense

A well-regarded spec script by A-list screenwriter David Koepp became this stylish thriller from director David Fincher. Jodie Foster stars as Meg Altman, a single mother of an diabetic preteen daughter, Sarah (Kristen Stewart). Meg's going through an unhappy divorce that forces her and Sarah to move into a new home. They choose a deluxe New York brownstone that coincidentally boasts an unusual feature: a "panic room," a vault-like hidden space capable of literally sealing itself off from the rest of the building. With its thick steel door on springs, separate ventilation and communications systems, and video monitors linked to cameras mounted throughout the home, the room is an impregnable fortress. It quickly comes in handy when the Altmans' new residence is invaded by a trio of thieves: Junior (Jared Leto), Burnham (Forest Whitaker), and Raoul (Dwight Yoakam). Meg and Sarah are able to secure themselves in the panic room before the robbers can get to them, but it turns out that Sarah's medication is still on the outside, the phone's not yet connected, and the loot the gang's seeking is inside the panic room with them. A cat-and-mouse battle of wits ensues, with Meg trying to outwit their captors over the course of one very long night, as her daughter's health dissipates. Panic Room (2002) co-stars Ann Magnuson, Patrick Bauchau, and Koepp's fellow screenwriter, Andrew Kevin Walker, in a cameo role. more..

Director: David Fincher

Starring: Jodie Foster, Kristen Stewart,Forest Whitaker,Dwight Yoakam, Jared Leto

Reviews

  • Ingeniously scary.

    Joe Morgenstern - The Wall Street Journal

    26 April 2013

  • Panic Room is Fincher's high-style testament to the cool things movies can do to make us jump out of our seats in the dark.

    Peter Travers - Rolling Stone

    26 April 2013

  • The movie resembles a chess game; the board and all of the pieces are in full view, both sides know the rules, and the winner will simply be the better strategist.

    Roger Ebert - The Chicago Sun-Times

    26 April 2013

  • Jodie Foster stars, and it's a pleasure, for once, to see her in something entertaining and mindless.

    Mick LaSalle - The San Francisco Chronicle

    26 April 2013

  • Things move fast enough to make it a movie to enjoy and then forget.

    Mike Clark - USA Today

    26 April 2013

Awards

  • Top Box Office Films

    ASCAP Film and Television Music Awards (2003)

  • Best Actress

    Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films (2003)

     
  • Contemporary Film

    Art Directors Guild (2003)

     
  • Theatrical - Best Supporting Actor

    Black Reel Awards (2003)

     
  • Best Horror/Thriller

    Golden Trailer Awards (2002)