From its opening shots, David Fincher's "Panic Room" lets you know that the film will be emulating Hitchcock. In fact the opening title sequence, with its vast aerial shots of the city, echo Hitch's masterful opening to "Psycho." Fincher, however, is no cheap imitator, as is Brian DePalma for example, and he makes the segment his own with cool titles. Fincher uses CGI lettering to make titles that seem to be 3D images suspended over the cityscape backdrop. It's cool as fuck. And the Bernard Herrmann-esque score provided by Howard Shore makes this opening segment the perfect set-up for the film.

We know what's going to happen in "Panic Room" and the script by David Koepp wastes little time in setting up the story. Within 15 minutes of the film's start, Jodie Foster and her daughter are locked in the titular chamber. This, however, comes after a marvellous Hitchcockian opening sequence starring Ian Buchanan and Ann Magnuson (playing the perfect new millennium Pat Hitchcock character). Buchanan is simply perfect as well.

There are a few "yeah, right" moments in the film where the suspension of disbelief is almost impossible but overall the film is well-crafted and engrossing. Koepp's script weaves some interesting exposition and plot-points without ever being too obvious.

Fincher does really awesome work here. Evolving from his opening credits, where 3D letters seem virtually suspended over the city listing the cast, he moves inside the house and uses the camera and effects to move through walls, through floors and ceilings, through coffee pot handles and even furniture. Fincher makes his camera seem all-powerful, able to penetrate the walls and doors the characters cannot. It's marvellous to behold.

Foster's performance is top notch. It's hard to imagine Sandra Bullock or Nicole Kidman (both of whom dropped out prior to filming) turning in the remarkably calculated yet vulnerable character that Foster supplies here. With her stoic, unsmiling face and horn-rimmed glasses, Foster creates a woman intelligent enough to create the dramatic action she supposedly creates here yet soft enough to make us care for her. And she just looks fucking great to boot. There is a scene in which she stands by an open door and pretends to be sleepy where she looks as glowing as innocent and youthful as she did in "The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane" 25 years ago. Yes, I am still in love with Foster. This film is yet another testament to her overwhelming beauty and her superb talent.

And while one could say that Forest Whitaker, Jared Leto and Dwight Yoakum supply the stereotypical baddies they've been called upon to create many times before, there's a reason they are called upon to do so: They rock at it. They are perfect here. Whitaker in particular gives the film its dramatic push. It's sort of a pity his character has a weak resolution.

"Panic Room" may not be the best film out there right now, but it certainly has enough going for it to be highly recommended. If you dig Hitchcock, Fincher and/or Foster, you will not be disappointed.

Note:

Also with Kristen Stewart and Patrick Bauchau.

Report Card Script: B+ Acting: A- Cinematography\Lighting: A+ Special Effects\Make Up: A Music: A+ Final Grade: A-

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