Rish Outfield's reviews
I saw this on its opening weekend because I'm a fan of its director and star. In the days since, the film has made a surprising amount of money, so my interest must not have been unusual.
Jodie Foster plays a woman recently divorced from her wealthy husband, who moves into an immense, three-story New York home with her daughter. The cute thing about this house is that it has a tiny, impregnable chamber right off the master bedroom...a panic room, where someone can safely hide in case of a break-in. Well, it just so happens that on their first night in the new home, there IS a break-in: three thieves who desperately want the wealth that's hidden there. Foster and her daughter make it to the panic room, but that's the same place the treasure is located.
Three thieves (in order of insanity): Forrest Whitaker, Jared Leto, Dwight Yoakam. As the intruders get more and more desperate (especially the completely nuts Yoakam), Foster's situation gets worse and worse. It was a very intense film, with creepy blue-green lighting and an enclosed setting that help fuel the discomfort. As a result, it's not very cheery (in both the fun/happy and stand up and shout senses of the word), but it's very involving and well-made. And are any of David Fincher's movies ever fun and happy?
I'd Recommend It To: White-knuckle thriller fans, perhaps not as a horror film, but I'd describe it as "Like Home Alone . . . only less violent."