Stars: William H. Macy, Donald Sutherland, Neve Campbell, John Ritter, Tracey Ullman, Barbara Bain

Director: Henry Bromell

Summary: Alex (William H. Macy) is having a midlife crisis; not only is he unhappy with his marriage, but he wants to get out of the family business, which happens to be killing people for hire. Seeking help, Alex turns to Dr. Josh Parks (John Ritter) for therapy. While in the psychologist's waiting room, he meets Sarah (Neve Campbell), a manic but beautiful young woman. Set reeling by his attraction to Sarah, Alex has to contend not only with his new feelings but also with his concerned wife (Tracey Ullman), his intuitive six-year-old son (David Dorfman), and his controlling father (Donald Sutherland). When Alex's tyrannical dad catches wind of his son's therapy and growing hesitation about their two-man operation, he gives Alex a new assignment one that leads to a startling resolution.

Alex (William H. Macy) is having a midlife crisis; not only is he unhappy with his marriage, but he wants to get out of the family business, which happens to be killing people for hire. Seeking help, Alex turns to Dr. Josh Parks (John Ritter) for therapy. While in the psychologist's waiting room, he meets Sarah (Neve Campbell), a manic but beautiful young woman. Set reeling by his attraction to Sarah, Alex has to contend not only with his new feelings but also with his concerned wife (Tracey Ullman), his intuitive six-year-old son (David Dorfman), and his controlling father (Donald Sutherland). When Alex's tyrannical dad catches wind of his son's therapy and growing hesitation about their two-man operation, he gives Alex a new assignment one that leads to a startling resolution.

Macy delivers an outstanding performance, carrying director Henry Bromell's debut with a somber world-weariness. The film presents an intriguing and unusual relationship between Campbell's impulsive Sarah and Macy's sullen Alex while portraying him as neither pathetic nor heroic. Well-written and expertly photographed, PANIC is an effective and engaging drama about one man's struggle to escape the numbness of his life.

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An effective exercise in "confined cinema", Panic Roomis a finely crafted thriller that ultimately transcends the thinness of its premise. David Koepp's screenplay is basically Wait Until Darkon steroids, so director David Fincher (Seven, The Game) compensates with elaborate CGI-assisted camera moves, jazzing up his visuals.

A relocated New York divorcée (Jodie Foster) and her diabetic daughter (Kristen Stewart) fight for their lives against a trio of tenacious burglars (Jared Leto, Forest Whitaker, Dwight Yoakam) in their new Manhattan townhouse. They're safe in a customised, impenetrable "panic room", but the burglars want what's in the room's safe, so mother and daughter (and Koepp and Fincher) must find clever ways to turn the tables and persevere. Suspense and intelligence are admirably maintained, with Foster (who replaced the then-injured Nicole Kidman) relying on her Silence of the Lambsresourcefulness. It's not as viscerally satisfying as Fincher's previous thrillers, but Panic Roomdefinitely holds the viewer's attention. --Jeff Shannon, Amazon.com

Aspect Ratio:	16:9 Anamorphic
Main Language:	English
Region:	Region 2
Special Features:	Trailer, Deleted Scenes, Director Commentary, Production Notes On The Films Background, Star Biographies, Web Link
Year:	2000
Release Date:	October 10, 2005
Runtime:	86 minutes
Certification:
Catalogue Number:	O D X 20377 R D
Keywords:	Panic, General, Thriller
Genre:	Thriller