# The ending of Panic Room - spoiler **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 1, 2003, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ending-of-panic-room-spoiler/172304 "2003-05-01T03:29:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Acco40](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/58956e/32.png) [@Acco40](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acco40)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2003, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ending-of-panic-room-spoiler/172304/1 "2003-05-01T03:29:42Z")
I watched this with a friend who had never seen it before recently. Anyway, there was a lengthy discussion afterward as to what Jodie Foster’s character did in regards to Forrest Whittaker’s character at the end. Since Whittaker’s character performed some good-guy acts in the movie (administering the shot on the daughter, saving Foster’s character from having her head dashed) did she stick up for him when the cops got him? There is a brief moment when she looks at him and is thinking about something… Ultimately though, I guess he did enough anyway where the cops would take him in on a couple of felonies with or without her blessing. But if she really fought for him, I suppose he might get a reduced sentence. But I’m a little suspicious - none of this would have happened to begin with had he not broken in. I guess what it comes down to is “how grateful was she for his positive actions in spite of his negative ones?” What do you all think, Dopers? ---
**Author:** ![Michael\_Ellis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/977dab/32.png) [@Michael\_Ellis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Michael_Ellis)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2003, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ending-of-panic-room-spoiler/172304/2 "2003-05-01T05:37:27Z")
Of course not, she’s a rich white successful person and he’s a black guy. He’ll get the death penalty. I _hated Panic Room._ ---
**Author:** ![gex\_gex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/94ad74/32.png) [@gex\_gex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gex_gex)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2003, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ending-of-panic-room-spoiler/172304/3 "2003-05-01T12:40:10Z")
I like _Panic Room_, but apart from that, I was thinking exactly what **Michael Ellis** was. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2003, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ending-of-panic-room-spoiler/172304/4 "2003-05-01T15:51:06Z")
I would expect Foster’s character to testify at Whitaker’s character’s trial or sentencing hearing. She would describe what happened, hopefully accurately, and it would be up to the judge whether or not his sentence is reduced based on his heroic actions. ---
**Author:** ![stolichnaya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bcef8e/32.png) [@stolichnaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stolichnaya)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2003, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ending-of-panic-room-spoiler/172304/5 "2003-05-01T15:53:35Z")
Yeah. What I got from that look was, “You seem like you could be a good guy. But now you’re f\*\*\*ed.” Seriously, could anyone consider helping the guy out? What a crock. ---
**Author:** ![Moirai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/96bed5/32.png) [@Moirai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moirai)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2003, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ending-of-panic-room-spoiler/172304/6 "2003-05-01T17:32:50Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Michael Ellis \* > \*\*Of course not, she’s a rich white successful person and he’s a black guy. He’ll get the death penalty. > > I _hated Panic Room._ \*\* Whoa. I haven’t seen it yet, but is there some wierd racist thing going on in the movie? Or is it something else? ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2003, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ending-of-panic-room-spoiler/172304/7 "2003-05-01T17:36:11Z")
I think Michael meant that ANY circumstance where a rich white woman is assaulted by a black man ends up like that. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Fight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/90ced4/32.png) [@Cat\_Fight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Fight)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2003, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ending-of-panic-room-spoiler/172304/8 "2003-05-01T19:17:05Z")
Just saw this the other night, and I was wondering the exact same thing. Is there an alternate ending? I was expecting Foster to tell the cops he was a friend or the maintenance man out on a call. I mean, they already did the “robber with a heart of gold” thing, why not go the extra mile and let him off (and with the money)? And how creepy was Dwight Yoakum? (shudder) ---
**Author:** ![Futile\_Gesture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f05b48/32.png) [@Futile\_Gesture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Futile_Gesture)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2003, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ending-of-panic-room-spoiler/172304/9 "2003-05-01T22:31:14Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by EJsGirl \* > \*\*Whoa. I haven’t seen it yet, but is there some wierd racist thing going on in the movie? > > Or is it something else? \*\* Something else, it is **Michael** ’s spin on the plot. There is nothing to suggest in the film that Whittaker’s character will suffer from any discrimination and will get exactly the treatment due any other robber who attempts to burgle a residence, assaults and holds people captive and is involved in the shooting of two people, one fatally. And the idea that he should have been let off is only something that only happens in Hollywood. You wouldn’t be appreciating the differences between good robber/bad robber if it was you getting robbed. You’d want them all the hell out of your home and locked up. ---
**Author:** ![Michael\_Ellis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/977dab/32.png) [@Michael\_Ellis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Michael_Ellis)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2003, 11:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ending-of-panic-room-spoiler/172304/10 "2003-05-02T11:30:28Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Futile Gesture \* > **And the idea that he should have been let off is only something that only happens in Hollywood.** Exactly. It’s a Hollywood cliche. And at that point I’d already sat through 90 minutes of cliched dialog, cliched characters, cliched situations (the diabetic daughter (who I thought was supposed to be a boy at first), the slomo dash against all odds for a cell phone, the insulin shock scene, numerous ‘just in time’ sequences, the ‘redemption’ of the Whittaker character, the 2 second fakeout where we thought the vault was empty, the philandering husband who turns out to be utterly useless), tedious CGI shots of a flight through the interior of a keyhole, and a scene with Jodie Foster on the toilet (complete with all the appropriate sound effects :rolleyes:) included for those who have urine fetishes. Damn it, if you’re going to have all those cliches, just go all the way and include the last one. You’ve pimped out all your other orifaces, why not the other one too. ---
**Author:** ![Michael\_Ellis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/977dab/32.png) [@Michael\_Ellis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Michael_Ellis)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2003, 11:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ending-of-panic-room-spoiler/172304/11 "2003-05-02T11:32:51Z")
Balls. That should be (complete with all the appropriate sound effects :rolleyes: ) I hated, hated, hated _Panic Room_. ---
**Author:** ![Achernar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e274bd/32.png) [@Achernar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Achernar)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2003, 11:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ending-of-panic-room-spoiler/172304/12 "2003-05-02T11:40:59Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Michael Ellis \* > the philandering husband who turns out to be utterly useless He wasn’t useless! He called the police! ---
**Author:** ![Michael\_Ellis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/977dab/32.png) [@Michael\_Ellis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Michael_Ellis)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2003, 11:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ending-of-panic-room-spoiler/172304/13 "2003-05-02T11:45:06Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Achernar \* > \*\*He wasn’t useless! He called the police! \*\* Then stroles in and gets the shit beaten out of him. Good plan. ---
**Author:** ![Achernar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e274bd/32.png) [@Achernar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Achernar)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2003, 12:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ending-of-panic-room-spoiler/172304/14 "2003-05-02T12:09:36Z")
Okay, so he didn’t save the day single-handedly. That doesn’t make him utterly useless. ---
**Author:** ![Michael\_Ellis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/977dab/32.png) [@Michael\_Ellis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Michael_Ellis)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2003, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ending-of-panic-room-spoiler/172304/15 "2003-05-02T12:41:41Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Achernar \* > \*\*Okay, so he didn’t save the day single-handedly. That doesn’t make him utterly useless. \*\* Perhaps. But my other points still stand. ---
**Author:** ![Achernar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e274bd/32.png) [@Achernar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Achernar)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2003, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ending-of-panic-room-spoiler/172304/16 "2003-05-02T12:44:17Z")
Perhaps. But I’ll bet you could find as many clichés in most any film. ---
**Author:** ![isthatsowrong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/35a633/32.png) [@isthatsowrong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/isthatsowrong)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2003, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ending-of-panic-room-spoiler/172304/17 "2003-05-02T14:12:25Z")
The shot at the end when Jodie Foster is looking at Forrest Whitaker is meant to make you think that he will somehow get away with it because she is sympathetic to him. You have just watched a formulaic Hollywood movie; David Fincher thinks he is so very clever and tweaks your nose by making you think you’ll get the fomulaic Hollywood ending. And then you don’t! So clever… I think Panic Room is Fincher’s reaction to criticism of The Game. The Game was a fairly engrossing, thrilling movie until it reached its completely unbelievable conclusion. Panic Room is the opposite - a predictable, by-the-numbers Hollywood “thriller” with a credible ending (bad guy caught and punished instead of walking away because he found redemption). Both movies are crap. Yet the same guy can make Fight Club and Seven. It wobbles the mind. ---
**Author:** ![Futile\_Gesture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f05b48/32.png) [@Futile\_Gesture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Futile_Gesture)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2003, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ending-of-panic-room-spoiler/172304/18 "2003-05-02T14:59:56Z")
Well I quite liked it. Nothing special, but acceptable entertainment. The title sequence was very impressive too. Anything with Jodie Foster in it can’t be all bad, it ain’t possible. ---
**Author:** ![Zenham](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a5b964/32.png) [@Zenham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zenham)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2003, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ending-of-panic-room-spoiler/172304/19 "2003-05-02T18:33:43Z")
Decent entertainment, and a different plot line than a lot of movies I’ve seen along the same hunter/hunted vein. I think the reason Jodie Foster didn’t stand up for Forest Whittaker is, well, after all he broke in to her house, and her daughter nearly died because of the mess that he helped to start. If he’d simply done the right thing and refused to participate in a crime, he would not have been there. End of story. Pity such a waste. Just because he was a _nice_ crook doesn’t make him any less of a crook. ---
**Author:** ![White\_Lightning](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@White\_Lightning](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/White_Lightning)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2003, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ending-of-panic-room-spoiler/172304/20 "2003-05-02T18:43:42Z")
I _still_ don’t understand what happened at the end of _The Game_. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ending-of-panic-room-spoiler/172304.md?page=2)