I think most people don't give this film the credit it deserves. The production design is a state-of-the-art masterpiece.

Looking through the background material for this film, it's impossible not to be impressed. For instance, the previsualization process was at the time the most thorough in movie history. Previz can best be described as an animated storyboard, and has never been used to this extent. In fact, with a few omissions in the opening and the end of the film, a complete animated version of the film exists.

The sets were constructed in their entirety at a Los Angeles soundstage («There is no house»). The way these sets are constructed are so meticulously planned that Fincher wore out an entire…

Panic Room will probably be known as David Fincher's weakest film even though most Fincher fans would present Alien 3 with that title. Finchers fifth film (post Se7en and Fight Club) looks fantastic but when you strip back the superb set design, smart cinematography and all those CGI one-shot sweeps through the Manhattan brownstone where the action unfolds, there's not a lot of substance to be found in this Hitchcockian style thriller. You can't help thinking though, after making two such defining films of the 1990's that you'd expect a lot more from Fincher.

The concept of David Koepp's script is a belter; a rich divorcee (Jodie Foster) and her bitter teenage daughter (a pre-pouting Kirsten Stewart) are trapped in…

I don't remember this being so good the first time I saw it! This film has some interesting camera work let me tell you. You can tell this was the film where Fincher decided to play around with different shots, going through walls, and floors. There is a particular camera pan that takes you through the entire house in one swift shot that is pretty amazing.

This film is tense, and it builds tension very well. The natural gas scene I had completely forgotten about, I was squirming in my seat waiting for the explosion. The performances here are good but nothing top notch, although it doesn't require an Oscar worthy performance either. The actors are good for what they…

It'd be hard to overstate just how well this fits as "my type of movie." There are few things I love more than a simple, rock-solid suspense thriller, and on top of that it falls into ALL THREE of my favorite unofficial sub-genres. The vast majority of it takes place over the course of one night, the characters are trapped in a confined setting, and it's a Bag of Money movie (the thieves who break into Foster's spatious Manhattan townhouse are looking for $3 million hidden in a safe). Plus, it's directed by David Fincher, and if there's a director currently working who is better at making elegantly brutal suspense thrillers, please enlighten me!

Although PANIC ROOM doesn't have nearly…

The June Challenge: #8

You've certainly got to feel for Jared Leto when it comes to David Fincher movies. The guy, who I really like as both an actor and as a musician, just can't catch a break when it comes to Fincher.

If it were not for that man, David Fincher, i'm not certain how much of Panic Room would work. The story is nothing special, and probably the weak part of the film, but most of the positives can be attributed to Fincher.

First off, the camera work feels distinctly Fincher. Whether it's the long shots going up the floors, or the split screens with both the elevator and the panic room, the camera works wonders here. There's…