Panic (2000) - Movie Review

One of the most talked about movies on a small scale of late has been Panic, the William H. Macy-starrer about a reluctant hit man who is going through a midlife crisis that involves a younger woman and a lack of interest in killing anyone.

Besides the performances displayed here, I really did not find Panic to be anything worth talking about. I was expecting something a little more exciting, like a twisty-turny kind of movie where Macy has to kill over and over again to get out of trouble, so I was a little disappointed on that account. Panic is actually a well done but slow drama, that really doesn't circulate around any kind of nasty plot, per se.

As already mentioned, if anything, Panic is worth seeing for the acting. William H. Macy, who time and time again churns out wonderful performances, does it again, this time in a rare leading role. All I can say is that he does what he has been doing for years, only this time he gets almost the entire movie's length to dominate the screen. The surprise gem is Neve Campbell, who really hasn't done much other than the Scream trilogy; she has a smaller role, but she does a terrific job.

The script is good, the direction is good, and the story is decent, so the only thing I can really complain about is that the movie is a little slow. I'm sure I would have enjoyed it a lot more if I had been expecting a drama and not a quirky mystery (the title suggests something more along the lines of Alfred Hitchcock), but I saw what I saw, and there isn't anything special about the movie itself.

Good performances and a good script make Panic worthwhile, but that's about it.

Review by Erik Samdahl unless otherwise indicated.