Themes: Midlife Crises, Hired Killers, Fathers and Sons
Main Cast: William H. Macy, John Ritter, Neve Campbell, Donald Sutherland, Tracey Ullman
Release Year: 2000
Country: US
Run Time: 90 minutes
Plot
A middle-aged man finds love in the last place he was looking -- his psychiatrist's waiting room -- in this dark comedy drama. Alex (William H. Macy) is a man in his mid-forties who is having something of a midlife crisis; he's unhappy with his life; his marriage to Martha (Tracey Ullman) is going through a rough patch; he's worried about his six-year-old son, on whom he dotes; and he wishes he hadn't bucked under to the wishes of his domineering father Michael (Donald Sutherland) and started working in the family business. Making things even more problematic is the family's line of work -- Alex is a killer-for-hire. Alex feels as if he's about to unravel from stress when he begins seeing Josh (John Ritter), a psychiatrist. One day, while waiting for his session with Josh, Alex meets Sarah (Neve Campbell), a sweet, pretty, but severely neurotic young woman with an omnivorous sexual appetite. Alex and Sarah take an immediate liking to one another, and Alex begins to pursue a romance with her, though he knows an affair could create more problems than it solves, especially after Michael informs Alex that Josh is his next target. Panic marked the feature debut for writer/director Henry Bromell, who previously distinguished himself as a novelist and a television producer. The supporting cast includes Barbara Bain as Alex's mother, who helped get her husband started in the business. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
Review
Though its undeniable comparisons to the similarly themed television series The Sopranos have blunted some of its impact, Henry Bromell's droll comedy-of-manners still registers strongly as a study of human frailty. One could argue that Bromell's idea to make the central character a hitman immediately brands the film as old-hat, but as played with vivid understatement by William H. Macy, the part bursts with sympathy. The film has an appealing use of visual detail (especially in its evocative widescreen photography), using empty spaces as a representation of Macy's inner torment and desire. A subplot involving a free-spirited young female patient (Neve Campbell) fails to pay off, but the strong ensemble cast gives endless flavor to their portrayals, bringing out Bromell's dry humor in unexpected and wonderful ways. In an odd turn of events, Panic played at the 2000 Sundance Film Festival to positive notices, only to premiere on cable (much to the dismay of cineastes). But an independent company decided to give it a limited release around the nation to build up word of mouth, in much the same manner as John Dahl's critically acclaimed features of 1993, Red Rock West and The Last Seduction. ~ Jason Clark, All Movie Guide
Dan Bradford - Art Director, Carol Dunn Trussell - Associate Producer, Matthew Barry - Casting, Jody Hediem - Co-producer, Susan Matheson - Costume Designer, Henry Bromell - Director, Lynzee Klingman - Editor, Cindy Mollo - Editor, David Cooper - Executive Producer, Brian Tyler - Composer (Music Score), Dan Bishop - Production Designer, Jeffrey Jur - Cinematographer, Lori Miller - Producer, Matt Cooper - Producer, Andrew Lazar - Producer, Ed White - Sound/Sound Designer
Alex (Macy), a sad-eyed mournful man, goes into psychotherapy: he discloses he's a hit man. He also tells the doctor (Ritter), after a few sessions, that he's attracted to a young woman he's met in the waiting room. She's Sarah (Campbell), 23, quick, edgy, and perhaps attracted to him as well. But he's married, the dutiful father of a young precocious boy, so Sarah brushes him off. In flashbacks we see him get his start as a killer, at his father's prompting: it's the family business. Dad gives Alex his next assignment: to kill the therapist. Alex keeps returning to Sarah, calling her, stopping by her apartment, as he decides what to do about the hit, his father, his marriage, and his malaise.
