I’m a huge David Fincher fan, both "Seven" and "Fight Club" are in my fav movies of all-time list. I was really looking forward to this bad girl and I came out of the theatre mostly a happy jerk. Sure, I had a few obstacles to surmount in order for me to enjoy the flick. I sat in the first row (my neck still hurts) due to the theatre being jam-packed; I had an obnoxious moron talking next to me the whole time (how’s the jaw, a-hole?) and a massive pee attack struck me halfway through (I toughed it out till the end though). But even with all those mishaps, I still got submerged into this picture.

"Panic Room" is a simple film, with a simple premise but a ballsy execution. It’s basically a battle of wits between 2 females and 3 males with their limited environment being used as a tool or a weapon in the fight. The screenplay milks the setting for all that it's worth and some of the edgy shenanigans that went down took me aback (gasoline wave anyone?). I felt like I was witnessing an engaging tug of war, with both sides at one point or another, gaining the upper hand. What a fun watch! From a character standpoint, its fairly cliché (the bad guy, the dumb bad guy and the good bad guy) but the competent actors elevate the roles to a higher plane. My fav baddie was definitely Jared Leto’s (Junior) dread-sporting “tough guy”. The man owns every scene that he’s in and had me laughing out loud a few times. Yeah, you heard me this movie is surprisingly pretty funny too! Apart from Leto’s antics, the film also offers us some situational humor and chuckles courtesy of the sharp dialogue.

In the tension department, this one had me biting my big toe fervently (I know, gross). Fincher unapologetically pulls us into the somber world of the film and barely lets us go, or allows us to breathe. I felt mucho involved through the whole ordeal. Directing-wise, I can’t praise Fincher enough for taking everything a 100 steps further. You would think that a tale that mostly takes place in one location would eventually be boring to look at…dead wrong…not in this man’s hands. I actually picked up a little bit of Argento-type style here (the key hole shots) with Fincher’s camera having no boundaries as to where it can go. Cracks in the wall, around kitchen appliances, through floors and ceilings. It’s all over the place! Tag that with dark atmosphere and creative lighting, and you get quite a visual trip.

I do have some minor complaints about the movie though. I don’t know if it's because I’ve seen way too many films, but I saw most of the plot turns coming. The chain of events doesn’t really go beyond what we’ve already seen in all the other “trapped in one setting” thriller scenarios. I often wished that the script had matched Fincher’s visual ambition on more occasions. My last pet peeve is that the last few frames didn’t fully satisfy me. Not only did the ending feel too abrupt, but also the fate of one character left me wanting more (even though it’s clear what happened to him/her).

Nicole Kidman was initially cast to play the role of Meg Altman (Foster), but had to drop out due to a shaky knee injury she got during the "Moulin Rouge" shoot.