David Fincher's "Panic Room" is atwo-hour roller coaster ride. Witty and sharp, it immediately gets under yourskin.

Jodie Foster portrays recently divorced Meg Altman, who, with herteenage daughter, moves into an up-scale Manhattan apartment complete withwinding staircases, vintage bathtubs and a "panic room" - a hidden,steel cubbyhole designed for safety. As mother and daughter lay sound asleep thefirst night, and the ever-present thunderstorm rages outside (cue up the spookymusic), the front door handle trembles. Three burglars let themselves in and ourprotagonists, in a terrified frenzy, lock themselves in the panic room, only todiscover that what the intruders want is in that room!

What follows is attimes humorous, frustrating and claustrophobic, but ultimately satisfying. Fosterradiates with controlled terror, but the real star is David Fincher. Camerassnake along the floor of the house, slithering in and out of keyholes, gardenhoses and coffee pot handles, keeping the viewer astonished at his stylisticmethods. The film could have trod the well-worn suspense film path, but instead,due to Fincher's provocative and original direction, it takes on a life of itsown, with nail-biting results.
This movie is rated R.