In the Middle Ages they were called “castle keeps.” During the Cold War, they were called “bomb shelters.” Today, safe rooms go by many names, but their purpose has remained the same: to protect the owners and their valuables from deadly intruders.
In the suspense film “Panic Room,” the title room is supposed to be a safe place but becomes a prison for newly divorced Meg Altman (played by Jodie Foster) and her pre-teen daughter Sarah (played by Kristen Stewart). It is a room completely isolated from the rest of the house by four concrete walls, a bulletproof steel door, a buried phone line and a separate ventilation system.
When three intruders break into the house looking for the former proprietor’s hidden safe, Meg and Sarah dive into the panic room for safety, but what the men want is in that room. Meg and Sarah want them out of the house; the men want the women out of that room.
Although the movie is promoted as a heart-stopping suspense film, Jared Leto, the leader decked out in ridiculous braids, manages to bungle all their plans, providing the audience with a sort of moronic comic relief. These three stooges have but one brain among them, and it belongs to the honorable thief (played by Forest Whitaker) who wants the money to battle for custody of his kids.
To add to the desperation of the situation, Meg has to overcome her claustrophobia and find insulin for Sarah, who has gone into shock from low blood sugar levels and stress. Meg manages to contact her ex-husband, but he proves to be as useful as we assume he was in their failed marriage, providing no help but acting as a convenient hostage for the thieves. The situation seems a bit over the top, but then that’s Hollywood.
The film also contains interesting cinematography. The camera often winds though the house, through coffeepot handles and along phone lines, giving the audience a sense of fluidity from one room to the next. Changing camera angles add to the surreal atmosphere of the situation.
Although leaning on the edge of ridiculous, the balance of comedy and suspense will appeal to a wide variety of audiences.