Panic |  | Director: Henry Bromell
Actors: William H. Macy, John Ritter, Neve Campbell, Donald Sutherland, Tracey Ullman
Studio: Live / Artisan
Category: DVD
List Price: $14.98
Buy Used: $1.13
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Rating:  47 reviews
Sales Rank: 136887
Format: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, Widescreen, NTSC
Languages: English (Original Language), Spanish (Subtitled)
Rating: R (Restricted)
Region: 1
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Number Of Discs: 1
Running Time: 93 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.1 x 5.4 x 0.6
UPC: 012236117278
EAN: 0012236117278
ASIN: B00005AA9G
Theatrical Release Date: 2000
Release Date: June 19, 2001
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Amazon.com
When Sarah (Neve Campbell) strikes up a conversation with a sad-eyed man called Alex (William H. Macy) at her therapist's office, she asks, "Are you one of those middle-aged guys who's tired of his marriage and thinking maybe a beautiful young thing could help him out?" She's right, but the source of Alex's depression is far from typical: he's a second-generation hit man who wants out, but his mom and dad won't let him quit. Donald Sutherland makes Alex's laconic and utterly monstrous father the most frightening parent since John Huston in Chinatown. A series of flashbacks show how he introduced Alex to his trade, beginning with shooting squirrels in the woods. We never find out whether Alex's father has mob connections, and the fact that it's just a business to him ("This one's a big job, lots of moola, I'll buy your mother a Lexus") makes him all the more chilling. Alex's mother (the steely Barbara Bain) knows all about the family business, but his wife (Tracey Ullman) thinks he runs a mail-order company, and the only person he confides in is a therapist (John Ritter). When he meets and falls for Sarah, Alex realizes that he alone can stand up to his father, and he needs to act before his own son becomes the next apprentice. Henry Bromell's debut film as a writer-director probes the same dark corners of the middle-aged male psyche as American Beauty and The Sopranos. Alex's tormented life is a symbol of the damage that parents can inflict on their children, and Bromell imbues his story with a tragic inevitability. Panic received a shamefully limited theatrical release, in spite of its rare combination of a great script and brilliant performances. It deserves to be rediscovered and appreciated by a much larger audience on home video. --Simon Leake
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Showing reviews 1-5 of 47
 A man in personal crisis... February 2, 2010
David Wilkins (Minnesota)
Here's a movie with a black but fascinating heart. The thing that drew me in and held me there, was the absolute contrast, the tug-of-war, between what's presented on the front end, and the steadily increasing darkness over time. We're shown the life of a sensitive family man, who's both a doting father and a loving husband. He leads an average and comfortable middle class life. But Alex (William H. Macy) is a man troubled to the point of distraction, and seeking professional help because of it. We soon learn that the conflict involves his profession. Alex is a contract killer, a hit-man. Walking away would be easier if it weren't a family business, started and nurtured by a very domineering father. Alex was brought into it at an early age, recruited with manipulation, not from his own desire. Turning to his mother won't help. She supports her husband completely, and reports any issues right back to him.
The order of things is seductive. Appearances are average, even desirable. Alex runs a mail order business from his home, as a form of cover. Even his devoted wife is unaware of the dark secret. There's a surprising degree of warmth when the stage is limited to Alex's home life, and that's part of the intense contrast; that, and his inherent nature, in opposition with his secret profession. The conflict is eating a hole in Alex. He decides to visit a shrink, an act that his father will consider as betrayal. That's all you need to know, going in.
The cast is first rate, with Donald Sutherland at his dark, manipulative best, as the domineering father, and Barbara Bain, as the aloof, enabling mother. Tracy Ullman is excellent as the devoted but uninformed wife. And there's an all too rare dramatic role for John Ritter, as the psychiatrist in the middle of a troubling situation. This is a morality play with twists that take it beyond ordinary bounds. We get the warmth of the sun and an ice cold dagger, brought together with artisan skill.
 Kind of a low key film about killing squirrels? January 10, 2009
R. Bagula (Lakeside, Ca United States)
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
The life of a hit man isn't easy?
The "family business" is killing people.
The star is brought up to kill squirrels at a young age.
His young son is very intelligent and cute:
the father is just fed up with this life.
The hunting fit hits the shan.
Panic February 27, 2008
C. A. Luster (Burke, VA USA)
William Macy, Donald Sutherland, Barbara Bain, Neve Campbell, John Ritter, and the rest the great cast make the movie. The story is decent, but it is the acting that makes it worthwhile. Macy plays a complicated man that not only runs an online business, but is a hitman for his father, played by Sutherland, as well. His psychologist, played by Ritter, is understandably upset when Macy first tells him his professions. This isn't Macy's only problems. He seems disturbed over his life and looks for a new relationship with a young lady, played by Campbell. The movie centers on Macy with flashbacks of his youth, and what currently is happening in his life. It comes to a crashing climax when his father tries to bring his son into the business. Well worth a rental which I suggest unless you are already a fan of this cast or this type movie. I went ahead and ordered it since the cast was so good. I don't regret it. The DVD is good quality and it has decent replayability, but no extras on the DVD. - C. Luster
 "I sell mail order lawn ornaments and kitchen geegaws out of my house . . . and kill people" February 27, 2008
C. J. Leach (Midwest, United States)
William H. Macy nails it again. Another vehicle for his quietly desparate middle-aged man character. This time he is the junior partner in a father/son murder-for hire business (father is done well by the remotely creepy Donald Sutherland).
At mid-life, Macy's character decides he doesn't want to do it anymore, and seeks professional counseling. The psychologist turns out to be played by John Ritter, who turns in a fine performance. He is very likeable, and I really enjoyed seeing him in what must have been one of his last roles.
Along the way, Macy becomes romantically involves with another psych patient 1/2 his age - the superbly lovely Neve Campbell. The plot thickens further when grandpa Sutherland starts grooming Macy's little boy for the family business. And Macy gets a very difficult hit assignment.
The scriptwriting could have been a bit better. The time jumps confused me now and then (and you can't make Sutherland, or Macy, look 28 anymore). The cast is top shelf. Nice SoCal backgrounds w/ nice camera work all around. Suspenseful. Some smart humor. Maybe a bit predictable.
I enjoyed it . . . call it four and a half stars.
Good but with faults July 10, 2006
C.A. Arthur (Tacoma, Washington)
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
This is actually a fine film; far from first-rate, but a solid 3 on a scale of one to four. The acting is excellent; Macy can do no wrong. But there are shortcomings in the writing. There is gratuitous sex throughout, for example, and the ending is contrived and predictable. Yes, it's film noir. And not at all the "black comedy" Maltin describes. In short, this is worth your time, unless you'd rather watch something truly serious or funny.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 47
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