Yes engaging thriller but it could be better.

Great film. The ONLY downside I see is the hollywoody ending and treatment of Uber-villain Yoakam. Kristen Stewart gives a great performance as a realistic (have kids, you'll understand) teen and Jodie is her usual dependable self.

Suffers from gee-whiz camera shots and seemingly shock-attempt violence. Has several fairly predictable scenes, and a couple of "Why didn't they do X" questions, one of which Whittaker even asks close to the end of the movie.

I won't say it's awesome, and I really recommend it cus I like it....but the movie was thrilling, every moment of the filmstrip made my skin crawl cold. It's so irritating sometimes to guess that if there's gonna be something scary when you hear that "slow thumping music" but then it could be just nothing out of the ordinary. I LOVE THESE MOVIES.

It started out well with the thrilling, white knuckle, real estate action. However, the begining is incidently where the movie crumbles into the land of asinine plot developments, poor casting (Forrest Whitaker, the poor, downtroden, blue collar bad guy turned teddy bear) and strained credulity (the propane scene for example.) I now have a reason to act upon my decision to quit renting anything with the "Lifetime" formula. … Expand

Well-done, I guess, but in the end, so what.

The moral of the story? That gigantic meat locker we all have in our upstairs bedroom isn't all it's cracked up to be. Whatever problems you have with the extremes of the situation, they are overcome in the end by the empathy Forest Whitaker builds for his character. I started rooting for him, too.

Stylish, but a little loose. Not even close to being as good as "Fight Club" or "7."

Definitely an enjoyable film. Humanizing the bad guys is an effective tactic in filmmaking, for sure. Kristen Stewart is a breath of fresh air. And could Dwight Yoakam's character have had a better name than Raul?? Classic!

Good, interesting movie.

I have paid my $6.50 to see this movie a total of 3 times. Every time I see it I am thrilled and feel the same amount of suspense. My heart beat goes up as I sit white knuckled clutching my chair. Not because I am scared, but I am overwhelmed with suspense.

Fincher is a muscular visual stylist, a real gymast among the new generation of directors. Yet, he doesn't have much to do here except crank out the usual tricks of suspense. He has us biting our nails in a few scenes but it's essentially a steroid pumped tom and jerry routine. The ending, as usual in such offerings, is over-the-top, lurid, and ugly, or what passes for BIG THRILLS according to Hollywood execs. Good but perfunctory acting by all the particulars. … Expand

Loved the movie, looking forward to the 3DVD Special Edition on the way :-)

Not only of the best thrillers of the year, but one of the best and original directors of the new century! David Fincher is going to bring more darkness, more reality and more 'beautiful' movies. After "Seven" & "Fight Club", now this great thriller. Yeah, Fincher is going to be the best in a new genre of moviemaking!

Mr. Andy S, I'm sorry to have to tell you this, but you've gone insane. I guess that you must have no taste when it comes to good thrillers or good films.

Fincher seems to be unable to carry good ideas to completion. the events of the movie seem to suggest a theme of how hostilities between opposing parties escalate needlessly without communication. this is played out again and again in the movie. but if you watch the beginning and end of the film, there is absolutely no indication that that is what the movie was supposed to be about. there is a kernel of an idea that is completely undeveloped. instead, the movie plays out simply as one event after another without any unifying core. same goes with his predilection for visual trickery. yes, the fact that he traverses the entire of a three story house in a shot without cutting is impressive but it could have been more than just visual gimmickery. ok, so fincher likes to go through walls. good for him. but if he did this trick through all walls EXCEPT for the panic room itself, where we always transition into with hard cuts, it would have been a cool kind of visual analog to the 'imperviousness' of the panic room and a metaphor for how porous and vulnerable the rest of the house is. instead, it's just a gimmick. sigh. a movie full of wasted opportunities. also, is it just me or are no fincher movies in any way ever scary? the guy wants to make thrillers but he can't commit to genuine violence and horror. you never feel frightened because you know that fincher is rather squeamish and there are lines that he simply will not cross. if the audience never feels that you are going to violate their eyes, you add a comfort level that's inappropriate for thrillers.... implication only goes so far contrary to critical opinion. instead of ratcheting up the tension by making all the bad guys truly reprehensible as in soderberg's out of sight, fincher pads it up with whitaker.... actors do a good job across the board though.… Expand

This movie, was really a fantastic movie! The young girl did a great job, and Jodie Foster was just..really great. And Jarod Leto, he was hilarioussssss...the movie was awesome. :)

A great movie! Filled with action and excitment. It kept me guessing what was going to happen next. Jodie Foster was great!

"Panic Room" fails to generate the suspense required to work an audience over because the intruders needed to be more menacing. Jarod Leto's character is too feeble. Forest Whitaker's character might feel at home with a flick like "Hope Floats". Only Dwight Yoakam's character is capable of killing the hostages.... The movie doesn't need criminals with feelings. And that is why "Panic Room" is just an exercise in genre and a time-killer.… Expand

Once the action starts, it doesn't end. A great adrenaline boost.

Poor writing leaves you ready to exit the theatre after the first 30 minutes. It is utterly predictable and not even SCARY!

Feels like a B-movie, dull from A 2 Z, worst being the actors awfully directed. 2/10 for visualFX...and yet.

The criticism of the villain characters is valid, yet I still bought into this movie hook, line, and sinker. Combine one of my favourite actresses with a clever, clausterphobic plot (another personal favourite) and you'll always get a winner in my book.

I Thought this film was Brill Well done.

Fincher just never seems to be able to make the transition from a good director to a great director....oh well, this is pretty damn good movie, very suspensful at parts, and contradicting what Pat said, pretty memorable in my mind at least. But when it comes down to it, it's pure entertainment.....there's not much susptance to the idea, and there could have been (maybe had M. Night written the screenplay) but what the film does well, it does very well.… Expand

Amazingly intelligent! one of my favorites! muss -see!!!

Somehow it manages to be "good". I don't know how. It must have something to do with Jodie Foster, Forest Whitaker, and David Fincher being rolled into one...the acting wasnt great, but it kept me glued to the screen, somehow.

After a decent opening sequence with a pair of real estate brokers, this movie collapses into a dull, derivative, moderately sadistic waste of time. While Jodie Foster is not as robotic as, say, Meryl Streep, she is even less able to transcend a weak script (or less campily entertaining as she inevitably fails in the attempt). And this script is seriously bad. Again with the exception of the pair of brokers, the characters are so colorless and lacking in depth and context (even for a B movie thriller) that it would be difficult to care what happens even if the action were not so preposterously stupid. All told, another pathetic, depressing assault on art from Hollywood's A-list.… Expand

I really had a great time. Really heart-pounding and genious. I love Fincher and this reminded me of his past thrillers, like "The Game." Jodie Foster is amazing as usual, so is everyone, EXCEPT for Jared Leto. He was HORRIBLE! But his performance didn't harm this brilliant little thriller.

This movie had a hackneyed plot and little action or suspense. Ill-conceived story and the highlight is Dwight Yokum's appearance as a robber. I do not understand how it was rated so highly. I would sooner see "What I did last summer..." or "Scream" a thousand times more than this one movie again.

This movie is a masterpiece in suspence and creativity of plot. However, the scripting, casting and acting of the villain intruders were a major detriment to its grade. They were out of place and distracting. Overall, however, the movie instanstly controlled your nerves and held them with cinematic tweezers.

Movie was doing fine until Dwight Yoakum turned into Jason from Friday the 13th. How does he get his hand crushed, get smacked in the head with a sledgehammer, fall over 15 feet straight onto a hard wood floor and still manage to nearly beat Jodie Foster to death?

I agree with others who complained about the script - some really ridiculous dialogue between the mother and daughter. It was suspenseful, with lots of exciting action, but marred by a weak beginning and formulaic ending. The most irritating character in the movie was the daughter. I was glad to see her get a good smack in the face at the end, frankly.

Pretty straightforward stuff, but intense enough to keep you on the edge of your seat, and for sure, better than most movies out there.

This movie suspense and plotwise is middle-of-the-road, but once again Mr. Fincher shows us that he's the best guy on the block.

An average movie in every way. Nothing objectionable, nothing memoriable. With Foster, Whitaker & Yoakam all playing roles that demanded little of their talents, it is slightly less than the sum of its parts.

I love the idea of this movie as much as the movie itself. If you like Audrey Hepburn's film "Wait Until Dark," you will love Panic Room. It is very much like an updated version of that classic. Many people found that this movie wasn't thrilling enough and if you start watching it expecting a jump-out-of-your-seat thriller you will not be satisfied either. My advice for enjoying this movie the way it was meant to be, is to just sit back and put yourself in the situation and not expect startling experiances. Love this movie; it's one of my favorites!… Expand

an amazing film by a great director,but it's not perfect, it has it's flaws but i give 8/10 because of the brilliant performances , and plot is also interesting..