Hey, everyone. "Moriarty" here with some Rumblings From The Lab.
Good morning, world. I'm going to use the same first paragraph on each of the stories I post this morning, because I want to make sure it's read by as many visitors to the site as possible this morning. In everyone's rush to view the Oscars, the Independent Spirit Awards got overlooked, as usual, and I want to send all congratulations out to such worthy winners as Tom Wilkinson and Sissy Spacek, Chris Nolan and Carrie-Anne Moss, Daniel Clowes and Terry Zwigoff and Steve Buscemi, and MEMENTO and AMELIE. That's not to slight the remarkable accomplishment of Halle Berry and Denzel Washington last night, but simply to recognize that a lot of worthy people picked up awards this weekend, and there's more than one game in town.
Meanwhile, I've had this great little review from Steve Dallas sitting in the inbox all weekend, and kept forgetting to post it. I don't want to read it, since I haven't written about PANIC ROOM yet myself, and I'm still thinking over the screening I saw on Thursday. As I ponder a bit more, I'll hand you over to Bloom County's most prolific AICN film reviewer:
Thanks to the good people at CHUD.com, I recently caught a screening of Fincher's latest: PANIC ROOM. I'm not a complete Fincher geek, but his name does get my attention. He has an amazing visual style, and his body of work up to this point has been outstanding. But there has been a distinctly tepid buzz coming out of the long-lead screenings, and I walked into the screening a little worried. How do you follow a film like FIGHT CLUB? The marketing behind the film has been a little weird. Sony is marketing this thing as a chick flick, which is decidedly against type for Fincher. What the hell was I about to see?
I'm not going to ruin the story for you. It's too well laid out, too subtle to be revealed by blunt force exposition. Fincher makes smart films: there is a lot going on, and you have to pay attention to pick it up. All the details come back, and there's a quiz at the end. It's enough to know that Meg Altman (Jodie Foster) and her daughter Sarah (Kristen Stewart) have just purchased a home in Manhattan. It has a distinctive feature - a panic room: an impenetrable 6x10 chamber, encased in about a foot of concrete in all directions, sealed by an impenetrable steel door. It's a place to hole up in case of home invasion or attack. When Jared Leto, Forrest Whittaker, and Dwight Yoakum come to call, it gets put to use.
Fincher has made his name shooting films like FIGHT CLUB and SE7EN - violent, disturbing films that embrace dark themes. PANIC ROOM isn't that sort of film. Get over
it. Go ahead and put it behind you.
If you don't, you're going to miss a really good film.
PANIC ROOM is Fincher's take on the Hitchcockian thriller. It's got a great storyline, an exemplary cast, and camerawork that will kick your ass. It's not a perfect film - far from it, in fact. But when it works, it REALLY works. It starts off slow, but it's one helluva ride.
What problems I had with this film are entirely within the first act. Maybe it's just me, but the trials and tribulations of rich white people just don't do it for me. The setup for this film came straight out of a Chris Columbus film (you can always tell by the kitchen... it's a dead giveaway.) Admittedly, wealth is a necessity: the rest of us can't afford elaborate plot devices. But the setup straight out of STEPMOM just didn't work for me. I can't empathize with these people. I know too many of them.
But I digress.
The real problem with the first act is the lack of suspense. You never feel that the Altman girls are in any real danger. You've seen the trailer. You know they get in. After that, there isn't any sense of dread... no sense of foreboding. They are locked in an impenetrable room: they can't be in any real danger, can they? You've seen stuff in the trailer that hasn't happened yet. They'll be fine. You know this. You never doubt it for a minute. And that's a major problem.
Because without the suspense, it just doesn't work.
Part of this can be blamed on the concept. It's an impenetrable room, for crying out loud. How much suspense can you create by making it impossible for the villains to
harm the protagonists? I wasn't afraid for the Altman girls because I KNEW they were safe in that room. How do you know? They tell you. They've been telling you for months. It's how they're selling the film.
Thanks, Sony. GREAT trailer.
Even when the film doesn't entirely work, it's entertaining to watch. Fincher has an amazing visual style, and the film has his signature look to it. He even did something special with the titles. The lighting... the colors... all have that look. The house is just an old brownstone, but Fincher makes it look cool. It's a good thing, too; 95% of the film takes place inside of it. This setting could have gotten old very quick, but it doesn't.
Fincher does things with cameras that boggle your mind. You know they can't be real, but the integration of live-action and CGI is so seamless you can't tell the difference. He flies you up and down stairwells, through walls & ceilings, through ductwork & plumbing. But he's not dancing around with the camera for the joy of it. When he moves the camera, he moves with a purpose. For this story to work, the audience has to be familiar with the environment. You have to know where the characters are in relation to the house, and each other. Fincher gives you a little tour, so that when the time comes, you'll know the chessboard. It's an effective use of a cool technique.
But just as you're sitting there geeking out to all the eye candy, something unexpected happens. A twist you didn't see coming. Or is it two? The tone of the film shifts significantly, and the ball begins to roll. Before you know it, that nice, safe situation isn't so safe anymore. All the faults of the first act are forgiven, and the game is on.
When it starts, you know it isn't going to end well. Lives are on the line from the first moment. It's harsh, it's brutal... it's not pretty. When the violence comes, it hits very hard. Fincher isn't afraid to hurt a child, or anyone else for that matter. The final scenes are almost primal. You spend the last half-hour of this film perched on the edge of your seat.
It's one helluva ride.
What I really liked about this film was the way the story was structured. Initially, you don't know why the three men are in the house. This isn't a simple home invasion, but you don't find that out right away. There isn't any giant piece of exposition waiting to help you out. You'll have to figure it out as you go along. You are fed tidbits along the way, comprised mainly of little snippets of dialogue. They build on one another, until you have a picture of what's actually happening. The dialogue crafts the story as it goes along.
Ironically, the actually storyline becomes irrelevant after a while. If this had been a straight heist, it would have mattered more. Instead, the piece becomes more character driven as the burglars have to decide just how far they're willing to go. Each has a stake in the world, and a proportional level of risk he is unwilling to exceed. Factor in the unfamiliarity between two members of the crew, and you start to see some conflict. Mix in some tension from the hostage situation and you've got yourself a film. At some level, this film is about their reactions to the situation, not accomplishing the task. But watching as the heavies slowly reveal their identities is one of the real guilty pleasures of this film.
All of the characters are well constructed, and Fincher found a great troupe of actors to bring them to life. Jared Leto is Junior, the erstwhile brain of the crew. He's at his scenery-chewing best when his plans are coming unraveled. He's a joy to watch. Forest Whitaker is Burnham, the man who knows how to accomplish their task. He has the most conflict, and he undergoes the most significant transformation. This might be his best role since THE CRYING GAME. Dwight Yoakam is Raoul, the man in the mask. His appearance confused me for the first half of the film. He plays a heavy, and its interesting to watch his role in the group evolve as things gradually turn to the worse. He shows great range here, and does some exemplary work. Kristen Stewart plays the daughter, Sarah Altman. She's playing a girl that's hiding something. Her
character is the emotional center of the film, and she carries it well. Ironically, the least interesting performance was given by Jodie Foster. It wasn't her fault, really: her character got to do a fair amount of yelling, running around and generally being responsible, but she never really changed or grew in any way. She started dull, and she ended up dull, especially in comparison to the conflict raging all around her.
It's actually ironic... "dull" is what got her into this in the first place. But I once again digress.
Panic Room isn't Fincher's best work. It's not the best material, the first act is deeply flawed, and the last half hour needs an edit. But despite these shortcomings, it still manages to be a good film. The acting is top notch, the story is interesting, and the action is intense. Visually, it's beautiful. It's something you should see.
Steve Dallas
I'll have my own review up in a few days, but I'm sure you're in good hands with Steve, who's been kicking ass here at AICN of late.
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