Panic

Good movie. Very engaging. Good acting. Great cast. A DRAMA. NOT A DARK COMEDY as listed here. I guess they thought it must be with John Ritter & Tracey Ullman (and Macy and Sutherland can be very funny in other things), but it's definitely not. Also not a thriller. It's a drama. A good drama.If it was an option, I would've given it 3 1/2 stars. It was better than a 3 star movie, so I rounded up to 4. I'm feeling guilty about that. I've seen plenty of 4 and 5 star movies with both William H Macy and Donald Sutherland separately. The acting is fine throughout. But it's still a better than good film, but not a very good film considering the cast (who all do a fine job). I guess that I'm trying to say that the cast raises expectations. I'd give it a solid B. But if it's an honors class, the grading scale is different.The direction is fine. The acting is fine. The story is compelling (albeit very late 90s early oughts drama). It's very well done. Still, it ends up being a C+/B- work. Even a solid B if the artists weren't so great.Kind of like a late era Maxfield Parrish landscape. They are solid landscapes. Absolutely more than competent paintings of rural houses on hills. If you're just judging them as what they are, definitely solid Bs, 4 stars, thumbs up. They elicit real feeling by truly capturing a very specific yet relatable perspective. Very good landscapes, but not really very good Parrish's. His earlier work was just so brilliant, you can't compare them.Like Macy and Sutherland here. Donald Sutherland can deliver a character with his performance like few others. He's proven his ability again and again for decades. And Macy? He's =#@%!^& brilliant!!! So for a drama from 2000, 4 stars. But for a film starring both Sutherland and Macy? It's not fair to the perfectly fine drama of the era to rate it with their potential in mind.

Neve Campbell is totally underused in "Panic" (c) 2000. William Macy plays parts of his character to a T, Southerland and Ritter do alright on their underused castings. Ulhman was in character but a Hitman's wife who is unaware of his endeavors would be willfully ignorant and she was not. So thus there is the flaw in Panic, for what should be a franticly paced movie by the title, we have tons of potential here and then a plodding and predictable story and an end with the loose ends tied up all neat. Giving this three stars rewards the fact that they told a complete story well enough but totally failed to engage. I see this movie as the result of a scriptwriter, a casting agent, and a director all saying we can get these big names for a 14 day filming cycle so what can we deliver--and splat there it is. I liked the movie but just got to the end of it wondering why they did so little with so much and thus three stars. We could have had a great movie here and maybe with less. A dinner conversation ending with a double retirement may have told the same story more powerfully.

The comment in the most helpful critical review is spot on correct, the side story involving Neve Campbell is not very interesting, in fact one wonders why it is there at all. When she asks Macy why he is outside her apartment, he has no answer. Nothing really happens between them but wife played by Tracey Ullman wants to throw him out of the house for it when she discovers the presence of another woman.the script needs a big re-write. Eliminate the side story with the younger woman altogether. Instead, Ullman as the wife appears intelligent. Does she really think their lifestyle is supported by a meager home based kitchen gadget business? Although the topic is not addressed, one supposed that Alex is able to launder the money from the 'hits' through the gadget business. I cannot imagine filing a 1040 with the occupation Hit Man on top. And the script suggests that is was Sutherland's wife, played by Barbara Bain, who actually got him in the business. There is the story. Surely wife Ullman wonders where Macy goes when he leaves the House for a hit. Let the tax return get audited, let some questions be asked, all of a sudden Macy cannot account for where money comes from (remember the scene in Fargo where he could not account for the cars no on the lot to McDormand's character). And what does Dad do anyway? Let Ullman's suspicions start to rise and let the unanswered questions grow and grow. Macy is caught then not wanting to to this any more but terrified the wife will find out his real job in life and that the grandparents are monsters on a Macro Scale. Where would that take the family? And how does Sutherland cultivate this business anyway, hitmenareus.com? Watching Sutherland and Bain trying to explain what they have been doing would be much more satisfying and compound the plot more than an uncompleted near affair with a younger woman that never flew anyway.

Both Macy and Sutherland slayed it, no pun intended, lol. Really interesting from a psychological point of view, the riptide father/son relationship is well exhibited between Sutherland and Macy against the juxtaposition between Macy and the actor playing Macy's son, Sammy. Those bedtime conversations between Alex (Macy) and his son, Sammy, were very reminiscent of those in the Courtship of Eddie's Father waaay back in the day, which I thought were some of the best scenes in this movie. I don't remember the name of the actor who played Sammy, but he deserves mentioning because not only were they well acted, but his character was delightfully winsome and added more depth to every scene he was in.I was both happy and sad the moment I saw John Ritter on the screen, I had no idea he was in this movie, and I was so happy to see him on screen! It's been so long since I've seen him in anything and it reminded me how tragic he left this world too soon. I thought he, Neve Campbell, and Tracey Ullman equally did a good job in their roles. Well, no, Neve Campbell did better, her character was more interesting and more developed.I'm not sure where the movie title, PANIC, comes from, since that has nothing to do with the movie, in my opinion.If you like psychological nuanced films then I recommend this movie, if not, then you probably won't like it.

NOT BAD

Great!

The sad assassin has been done so many times by Hollywood, one sometimes get the idea that America is stuffed full of miserable killers attempting to get therapy.This was reasonably standard fare, with a neat touch of decent acting by the participants, it really did not glamourise killing, and the ending was not your usual money shot.Well worth an evening in.brendan

"Für Ehefrau, Sohn und Freunde ist Alex ein ganz normaler Handelsvertreter. Kaum jemand ahnt, dass der immer etwas traurig dreinblickende Mittvierziger seit seinem 6. Lebensjahr im Auftrage seines Vaters professionelle Morde begeht, nur Mutter und ein entsetzter Psychiater wissen noch vom "Familiengeschäft". Inzwischen aber wächst Alex das Doppelleben über den Kopf, geht ihm das Töten immer schwerer von der Hand. Als Opa die Ermordung des Psychiaters fordert und gleichzeitig den Enkel anzulernen beginnt, naht die Zeit für einen Befreiungsschlag..."So steht's oben, und das ist auch eine weitgehend korrekte Inhaltsangabe für den Film. Dennoch hat mich der Film sehr überrascht. Ich hatte erwartet, einen Profikiller zu sehen, dem man in einer rasanten Handlung mit schnellen Schnitten zuschauen kann, wie er an seinem Leben zerbricht und völlig durchdreht. Deswegen hat mich die Auswahl von William H. Macy als Hauptdarsteller etwas irritiert. Bin wohl hollywoodverseucht.Die Überraschung war äußerst positiv.Alex ist ein Mittvierziger, wie oben richtig geschrieben sieht er immer etwas traurig aus. Gefühlsausbrüche sind ziemlich untypisch für ihn.Die ganze Heranführung an die Charaktere erfolgt wie im Rahmen eines gemütlichen Beisammensitzens. Man merkt bald, dass Alex zwar irgendwie traurig ist, aber sonst wirkt er ganz ausgeglichen. Es zeigt sich so nebenbei, dass sein Vater, obwohl sie viel Kontakt haben und scheinbar konfliktfrei nebeneinander leben, ein herzloser Bastard ist. Alex vertraut seiner Mutter, die von seinem Beruf weiß und ihrem Mann viel näher steht als ihm; und er respektiert seine Frau, die nicht von seinem Beruf weiß und zu ihm steht. Und auch wenn er nicht zu großen Gesten neigt, ist die Liebe für seinen sehr aufmerksamen Sohn unübersehbar.Außer einem Psychiater und einem etwas überdrehten jungen Mädchen, zu dem Alex mehr Zuneigung entwickelt, als gut ist, spielt keiner außerhalb der Familie ein wesentliche Rolle. Alex' Druck kommt auch nicht von außen, er hat keine Angst vor der Polizei oder vorm Ermorden fremder Mensch. Es ist eine reine Familienangelegenheit, und sie kocht in Zeitlupe über.Freunde von großer Schauspielerei sollten diesen Film auf jeden Fall mal gesehen haben, Macy macht seine Arbeit brillant und auch die anderen Schauspieler (v.a. Sutherland) sind äußerst sehenswert.Die ganze Geschichte hat verschiedentlich Parallelen zu "Die Katze auf dem heißen Blechdach" mit den Konflikten und der Gemächlichkeit, in der sie eskalieren. (Bitte nicht mißverstehen, "Panic" hat nicht DIESE Klasse, aber er ist sehr gutes Schauspiel.)Das Bild der DVD ist sehr gut, Ton kann ich mangels Ausrüstung nicht wirklich beurteilen. Neben der deutschen gibt's auch die Originalstonspur sowie (ausschließlich) deutsche Untertitel.Als Specials sind leider nur drei Trailer vorhanden. Mit etwas mehr bekäme das Ding sicher fünf Sterne. Aber auch so ist es ein solides Produkt, dass m.E. den Kauf wert war.

Avec un minimum de moyens (film indépendant), le réalisateur livre un premier film magique, bouleversant et marquant. Des personnages déchirés entre leurs désirs et le chemin qu'on leur a tracé depuis toujours, l'envie d'aimer et de vivre avant qu'il ne soit trop tard, l'amour comme remède à la peur et à l'angoisse... Tous les acteurs sont formidables, et donnent vie à ces personnages qu'on se met à haïr ou à vouloir aider, personnages qui, dès les premiers instants du film, vont évoluer dans des décors magnifiques, de somptueuses et audacieuses prises de vue, des couleurs accompagnant les états d'âme, les joies et les drames. On n'oubliera pas le tueur au coeur tendre et à la tête de clown, ni la "paumée" qui ne demande que de l'amour et de la tendresse, le petit garçon si lucide, l'épouse trompée mais toujours digne, ni ces deux monstres joués par Donald Sutherland et Barbara Bain. Un film féroce et tendre, que je vous conseille si vous aimez à la fois marier histoires extraordinaires et beauté des images.