Panic Room
User Score
7.0 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 92 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 72 out of 92
  2. Mixed: 11 out of 92
  3. Negative: 9 out of 92

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  1. C.Bowden
    Sep 22, 2002
    1
    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
  2. Richard
    Sep 20, 2002
    4
    Well-done, I guess, but in the end, so what.
  3. BradH.
    Apr 29, 2002
    2
    Poor writing leaves you ready to exit the theatre after the first 30 minutes. It is utterly predictable and not even SCARY!
  4. Shootsy
    Apr 4, 2002
    2
    Feels like a B-movie, dull from A 2 Z, worst being the actors awfully directed. 2/10 for visualFX...and yet.
  5. AndyS.
    Mar 29, 2002
    2
    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
  6. Anisha
    Mar 31, 2002
    2
    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.
  7. RolandC.
    Sep 23, 2002
    4
    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?
  8. PatC.
    Sep 23, 2004
    4
    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.

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
65 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 36 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 23 out of 36
  2. Mixed: 13 out of 36
  3. Negative: 0 out of 36
  1. The New York Times
    Reviewed by: Dana Stevens
    70
    An above-average thriller.
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  2. Chicago Sun-Times
    Reviewed by: Roger Ebert
    75
    The movie resembles a chess game; the board and all of the pieces are in full view, both sides know the rules, and the winner will simply be the better strategist.
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  3. The New Yorker
    Reviewed by: Anthony Lane
    90
    There is something horribly apt in the way Fincher closes the drama in joyless exhaustion, leaving you certain that there will be a sequel to these events, not onscreen but in someone's home, tonight. [8 April 2002, p. 95]
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