The overly extravagant house is equipped with a panic room, a protective measure against home invasion. It bolts shut with steel doors, has video monitors to follow what is going on in each room and contains emergency food, blankets and, most importantly, a phone to call the police.
During the Altmans' first night in the house, a trio of housebreakers enter because they want to access something very valuable buried within the panic room. The two Altman women lock themselves in the room, but oh-so-surprisingly, Meg hasn't had time to connect the phone inside the room. Thus, they are trapped inside the room and the robbers adamantly refuse to docilely leave. The situation is hopelessly stalled until Meg bravely decides to unbolt the doors and find her cell phone while the robbers are busy quibbling amongst themselves.
The majority of "Panic Room" is spent in altercations and negotiations between the Altmans and the three robbers. They engage in a game of wits, each trying to force the other into surrender. The strategies the characters engage in range in their complexity. Sarah flashes SOS in Morse code to a sleeping neighbor through a drainhole, while Meg resorts to inane cursing. At one point, Meg yells over the intercom, "Leave my house at once!" Her pre-adolescent daughter advises her, "Say fuck!" The conservative, naïve Meg looks bewildered, but awkwardly and uncertainly addsm "Fuck!" Her reluctant obscenity only leads to boisterous laughter among the robbers.
Most of the comic relief in the film comes from the three thieves. Junior (Jared Leto), the stereotypical idiot mercenary, sports cornrows and is a relative of the previous house owner. He engages the help of a financially strained, desperate family man named Burnham (Forest Whitaker) and the mysterious sociopath Raoul (Dwight Yoakam). Such a motley crew leads to bickering and, while the limited setting makes viewers feel claustrophobic themselves, the arguments are only an attempt to prolong the events leading to the final conflict. However, scenes such as one where Junior diligently strikes the steel doors for several minutes with a medium-sized ax (barely making a dent), all the while having the happiest expression on his face, pick up the movie's pace and makes the wait more forgivable.
Though not inclined to watch suspense thriller movies, I was largely attracted to the star-filled cast of "Panic Room." Jodie Foster has been absent from Hollywood screens for a few years after becoming a single mother. Perhaps she felt a connection to her character, who is a single mother trying to protect her child. In any case, Foster's performance makes the film worth sitting through-her convincing portrayal of Meg's quick-witted attempts to get out of the panic room, her devastating claustrophobia and her heartfelt concern for her diabetic daughter elevates an average film to a moderately good source of entertainment. She dexterously finds a balance between vulnerability and strength. In one scene, she sobs violently over her ex-husband's unfaithfulness and, in the next, she overcomes her fright to take control of the situation and think of ways to outfox the invaders.
Forest Whitaker's character, Burnham, who is just an average nice guy caught in a sticky situation, provides the group of robbers with some conscience. He shows concern for the safety of the Altmans and is the voice of reason when his fellow cohorts want to gas the room and kill the occupants. He personifies the moral reasoning and stability in an otherwise outlandish situation.
Jared Leto adds a goofy side to his inept character, recalling images of Joe Pesci from "Home Alone." He delivers potentially stupid lines with ease, leaving the audience with no choice but to laugh. If you disregard the movie's premise and predictability, it's possible to enjoy impressive acting in a movie with enough convoluted twists to keep you on your toes.