markandkarenfitz I begin, so I won't forget later, by commenting that the child actor in this film is stunningly good. He nails long bits of dialogue in long unbroken takes. He adds so much humanity to the film.It is pointless to opine about William H. Macy. He is a titan. But, god almighty lets not forget Donald Sutherland. He is the pinnacle of evil wrapped up in sheep's clothing. The mentor of his son, in a very disreputable trade. And god, I miss John Ritter! And Neve Campbell.. be still my heart.Hit men movies are always enjoyable. What this says of humanity I don't know. But a hit man movie saturated with humanity is something yet again and I promise this combination makes for a very satisfying experience.

Comeuppance Reviews "Panic" is an excellent drama. Macy plays Alex, who is a hit-man. He wants to retire, but his Dad, Michael (Sutherland) won't let him...without a fight. Alex is having a nervous breakdown and goes to a psychologist, Dr. Parks (John Ritter) When Michael hears about this, he puts out a hit on Parks."Panic" was dumped on video for no reason. It's definitely a hidden gem. The whole cast is fantastic. Macy and Sutherland are perfect in their roles. Sutherland's character stands out. Even when Michael is opening a birthday present, he looks menacing.Tracy Ullman plays Alex's wife. She also does a good job at developing her character throughout the film."Panic" is a movie you should look out for, if you like the actors involved.For more insanity, please visit: comeuppancereviews.com

Greg Page I thought the movie was carried by the strength of the actors in the lead roles but the dialog occasionally took some odd turns that seemed out of character. The grandfather and grandmother going off on Sammy as they did were completely out of character. And Sammy himself was too unbelievable. Six-year-old kids don't talk like he does in this film. I felt like reaching into the screen and slapping him.I had some issues with the basic elements of the story as well. Two people making a living (and it appears to be a very good living) off of contract hits while being completely off the law enforcement radar is not only improbable but impossible. Consider the grandfather was doing it before the son took over we're looking at 40 years or so of killing and no cop ever had a clue!Anyone who has ever fired a gun knows how hard it is to hit a target. A young kid killing a squirrel with a pistol shot is near impossible, especially on his first outing. My biggest problem was how predictable the plot became. I knew Macy was going to hookup with Campbell; I knew who the target of the hit was; and I knew who Macy was going to shoot in the end. Way too predictable.

triple8 Panic is a very well made movie. It also contains excellent acting and the cinematography is a 10 of 10. I really liked the way the movie was photographed. It had a noirish component to it but also curiously, the look of the film, at times, had an 80's quality. If I hadn't known this was such a recent release I'd have thought it came out in the mid 80's. The atmosphere and photography, as well, as the highly charged performances were what I enjoyed most.Unfortunately, the movie is really difficult to watch. There are a handful of movies that, while very obviously maybe well made are just almost to intense. That's the way I felt about Panic. It isn't gory but is very emotionally upsetting though the characters, all of them, hold an element of fascination as well.SPOILERS THROUGHOUT: There is an element of gloom throughout the movie that does not let up. Of coarse, the plot, is in itself, pretty much a downer but Panic while being a very good film in a lot of ways, is so disturbing while watching that it's hard to get through it. Some movies, such as American Beauty, which it's been compared to, are disturbing but in a good way. With American Beauty I felt riveted to my seat. With Panic, after a bit, I just felt like turning it off. It made an impression on me alright, but not the way I'd have wanted.This movie is obviously meant to disturb and it did. There's not a lot to criticize in panic but it's not a movie I could give an 8, 9 or 10 to, simply because I wasn't transfixed as in other films that might be equally disturbing but contain the element of keeping you glued to your seat as well. Panic is a good movie. It is thought provoking, well acted, emotionally brutal and sad. It also has that element of complete realism and really gets you thinking about one's neighbors, friends, coworkers etc-who they really are and what secrets they maybe carrying around. I admire Panic tremendously and do plan to watch it again, it seems the type of film where the second time around might make better viewing, knowing what it's about etc but as of right now my vote is 6.5 of 10. The movie touched, it disturbed, but it also drained. As far as performances go though-10's all the way through.