I'll say one thing for David Fincher-- when he finds a device that works, he's not afraid to run it into the ground in film after film. And since I happen to like that device-- the camera moving into normally concealed spaces like a keyhole or ventilation shaft, now commonly seen on CSI-- I'm ok with that.
I thought the script did a credible job of creating tension from the otherwise static situation of the heroes being holed up inside an impenetrable fortress with the bad guys trying to get in. Unfortunately, some of it was created by the ham-fisted plot device named Raoul. We never learn why Junior brought him in on the job-- a decision which makes no sense. They expected the house to be empty, so why bring along a third man with whom to split the money-- especially when you're lying to them about how much money's involved?
Fun as it is to pick apart flaws in the foundation of a film, I can overlook them. What I can't forgive is when the filmmaker breaks his own rules, which happened at least twice here. Forest Whitaker's character, builder of the panic room, claims the panic room is equipped with a one-way PA system, not a two-way intercom. But later Jodie Foster talks to the panic room via an intercom in the master bedroom. Sloppy. And in the set up, they make a point of showing how the steel door has motion sensors to prevent it from closing if there's something in the way, yet later it shuts on Raoul's fingers for no apparent reason.
I was also greatly disappointed in the lack of payoff to the daughter's needles. Fincher makes a point of showing her hiding the medical kit and then palming some needles, but in the end she uses them as an ineffectual stabbing weapon against Raoul's raging attack on her mom. Why bother?
The opening title sequence, with credits rendered in 3-D perspectives against a cityscape, is not only jarringly pretentious but ill-fitting for a claustrophobic thriller. And the sequence took a year to create! Un-freaking-believable.
Posted by Peter at October 12, 2003 01:52 AMIt's been a while since I've seen it, but I thought the motion sensors on the door were only tripped at certain heights, and the bad guy was below (or above) them, which is why the door closed on him. I actually thought they had made a point of showing that early on, to explain why it closed on him later. But as I said, it's been a while.
Posted by: Larry on October 12, 2003 06:41 AM