Panic Room (2002)

​"One really can't be too careful when it comes to home invasion."
One of the first lines of the film made me chuckle. It's said by a snobby real estate agent who's showing the house, which is a metaphor for the board this game will be played on, to Jodie Foster's character, Meg. She is one of our players. The salesman says this quote while describing the functionality of the panic room, which is obviously very important to this game. And then the tutorial is over. The game begins. David Fincher's 'Panic Room' is a really fun movie. Unlike his earlier release 'The Game' from (1997), the rules now are much tighter, which makes the realism believable. Successfully elevating this from your typical home invasion thriller. Forest Whitaker's Burnham is the other player. A security systems installer who worked on this very house, and who was hired to help steal millions from this very panic room. We learn that he's trying to pay for a custody battle hoping to stay close with his kids. Considering Meg's daughter Sarah ( who's played wonderfully by a young Kristen Stewart), is in the home, the situation dives into some very complex and well thought out strategy from both our players. Saying any more would be spoiling it. It's well worth a rewatch. Even though it's one of Fincher's more generic films.

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