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Year One
Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed movies.
Panic
Generally favorable reviews
Based on 24 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
Based on 15 votes
Read user comments
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Movie Info
Genre(s): Drama
Written by: Henry Bromell
Directed by: Henry Bromell
Release Date:
Theatrical: January 12, 2001
DVD: June 19, 2001
Running Time: 90 minutes, Color
Origin: USA
Summary
RATING: R for language and elements of violence
Starring William H. Macy, John Ritter, Neve Campbell, Donald Sutherland, and Tracey Ullman
Alex (Macy) is dissatisfied with his family life, and his work in the father's (Sutherland) business...as a professional hitman. When he seeks the help of a counselor (Ritter), an encounter with a troubled young woman (Campbell) in the waiting room changes his perspective.
Also On The Web: Internet Movie Database
What The Critics Said
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert
Seeps with melancholy, old wounds, repressed anger, lust. That it is also caustically funny and heartwarming is miraculous.
Read Full Review >Mr. Showbiz Kevin Maynard
Unfolds like quietly engrossing short fiction, reminding us that there are few things more pleasurable than being in the hands of a good storyteller.
Wall Street Journal Joe Morgenstern
A handsome, absorbing debut feature by the fiction and television writer Henry Bromell.
Washington Post Megan Rosenfeld
Anyone interested in serious film should absolutely not miss it.
Read Full Review >Baltimore Sun Michael Sragow
In the full-house ensemble of Henry Bromell's Panic, Neve Campbell is the wild card.
Chicago Tribune Robert K. Elder
Graced by bleak, stylized direction and an insightful ending that suggests that nothing ever really ends, this first feature film by "Northern Exposure" and "Homicide" writer and producer Bromell is a promising debut.
Portland Oregonian Kim Morgan
Panic never lets you forget that Donald Sutherland can be one of America's greatest actors.
Salon.com Charles Taylor
A small movie, to be sure, but it's also a thoroughly original one.
Read Full Review >TV Guide Frank Lovece
From the opening lines to the epilogue (one of the film's few misfires), this taut first feature from TV producer and novelist Henry Bromell sustains a taut mood of unease and isolation, and the ensemble performances (TV starlet Campbell's included) have the qualities of the highest-caliber stage work.
Read Full Review >San Francisco Chronicle Mick LaSalle
Not the kind of movie anyone will remember at Oscar time. But no one who sees it will forget it.
Read Full Review >Seattle Post-Intelligencer William Arnold
A nifty little neo-film noir that's a lot more intriguing and watchable than half the films that make it to the multiplexes.
Read Full Review >Philadelphia Inquirer Desmond Ryan
A defiantly offbeat and accomplished piece with a dream ensemble acting out one man's nightmare, it deserves not to fall through the cracks.
Miami Herald Rene Rodriguez
This bleak, oh-so-dark comedy is one of the best movies you almost didn't get to see.
Village Voice J. Hoberman
Steeped in metaphor as it is, Panic offers a more naturalistic analysis of male midlife crisis than the grotesquely overpraised "American Beauty."
Read Full Review >Los Angeles Times Kenneth Turan
A lot of this is quite well done, but Bromell has a tendency to have too schematic an aesthetic agenda for his story: treating film noir like kabuki is not necessarily the best way to go, no matter how beautifully you do it.
Read Full Review >Chicago Reader Lisa Alspector
This bright noir, with gleaming cinematography by Jeffrey Jur, is as single-minded as a short story, but the premise is almost too clever.
Read Full Review >New York Post Jonathan Foreman
Boasts some genuinely intelligent and funny sequences and some nicely painful scenes of domestic tension - as well as surprisingly strong performances from actors like Neve Campbell and Donald Sutherland.
Christian Science Monitor David Sterritt
The atmosphere is more compelling than the plot, but the story does pack a surprise or two.
Read Full Review >What Our Users Said
The average user rating for this movie is 7.8 (out of 10) based on 15 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
Jay H gave it a6:
Fine story, a little too slow moving, but the cast is great, particularly William H. Macy. Good writing. Barbara Bain is fine in a supporting role.
Nick A. gave it a9:
In his first go as a Hollywood director, Henry Brommell whips an enthralling yarn that is all of penetrating relatable marital issues with melancholic authenticity, and lacing such with an equally absorbing subplot of a father-son hitman business. The film is directed astutely and consists of a wonderfully put together cast as well as a swift, family-conscious screenplay (also by Brommell) that brings life to an otherwise fatigued genre. As a bonus, 'Panic' delivers subtle, acerbic humor—an unexpected, undeniably charming, and very welcome surprise—through its bumbling, unsure-of-himself, low-key star, whose ever-cool state is enticing, especially given his line of work. The forever-great William H. Macy again captures our hearts as Alex, a unhappy, torn, middle-aged husband and father who finds solace in the most dubious of persons: a young, attractive, equally-messed-up 23-year-old named Sarah (Neve Campbell), whom he meets in the waiting-room at a psychologist’s office, where he awaits the therapy of Dr. Josh Parks (John Ritter) to discuss his growing eagerness to quit the family business that his father (Donald Sutherland) built. Alex, whose lust to lead a new life is obstructed by the fear of disappointing his dictating father, strikes an unwise fancy for Sarah, which ultimately leads him to understand the essence and irrefutable responsibility of being a husband to his wife and, more importantly to him, a good father to his six-year-old son, Sammy (played enthusiastically by the endearing David Dorfman). Henry Brommell’s brilliant 'Panic' is something of a rarity in Hollywood seldom seen (with the exception of 2002’s 'Road to Perdition') since its conception in 2000—it weaves two conflicting genres (organized-crime, family drama) into a fascinating, warm hunk of movie-viewing that is evenly strong in either direction—and it’s one that will maintain its exceptional, infrequent caliber and gleaming sincerity for ages to come.
Tony B. gave it a9:
excellent movie i cant believe this movie wasnt bigger. i didnt even hear about it until i saw it on tnt. i also found it extremely hard to find in stores but fortunatly i did find a copy today so happy excellent movie a deffinatly worth a viewing.
Pat C. gave it a 7:
A study of a clueless obtuse father Sutherland who simply doesn't know when to stop being domineering. Macy is suitably exasperated in his oddly repressed way. Campbell threatens to turn the plot into a soap opera. A good solid if not slightly unpleasant movie, an American Beauty lacking only complexity and insight.
Jeremy M. gave it an 8:
Macy is fantastic, but the kid was painful. All in all great.
Seth V. gave it a 9:
Excellent, Superb!!! I loved this, William H. Macy does an amazing job "misdirection" type of acting. Also Neve Cambell is great to see out of her "Scream" roles.
Michael F. gave it a 9:
This is a really well told story. The film unfolds so perfectly from beginning to end. It is an anti-violence film about a hitman. Its brilliant! Macey is great. Everyone is great. The film is great from beginning to end. Expert direction by Bromell. A must-see!
