MovieChat Forums > Panic Room (2002) Discussion > Since it's not an intercom, then why...

Since it's not an intercom, then why...

posted 13 years ago by GloriaMundy
21 replies | jump to latest

...in the world couldn't Meg have just told the two policemen everything and told them to go away and come back so that Raoul and Burnham would think that she got rid of them? She used an awful lot of time talking to the police when the thieves couldn't hear a word she said anyway, and hey, they could have been nervous enough to kill Sarah anyhow figuring that Meg was giving the impression of sending them away and they became suspicious. Why the whole scene where she tells the cops that stupid lie? Totally unnecessary! She could have told them thieves was indeed in the house, and make them appear to leave only to show up at some backdoor or something! Cheesus! She really gambled with Sarah's life by using that much time! Right? No? Anybody?

[–] iagrmc 9 years ago

The OP said exactly what I was thinking. I like the film, but the whole lie was a completely unnecessary twist, aside from making no sense. All she had to say was, "There are two men holding my daughter hostage, I have video surveillance in my home so they can see what's happening, and they're going to kill her if you don't leave." It wouldn't have necessarily changed anything, because the cops still couldn't have entered the house and done anything, but they would have at least known what was going on, and we would have been saved from watching Jodie Foster act all weird and awkward for no reason.

But yeah, the whole plot can be explained away by the "Cops are idiots and they would have shoved her aside and gone running in guns blazing. I know, cause I have a friend who is a dispatcher so I know everything about law enforcement," argument. Typical.

[–] LeenyBabii 8 years ago

This is exactly what I was thinking. It's absolutely ridiculous that anyone could use the defence of 'we don't know how the cops would have reacted if they'd known the truth', when the main cop made it very clear that if she needed to say something but couldn't that he would understand, if she gave him some kind of signal. Why would he say something like that and then as soon as she gives him this subtle signal, go 'OMG SOMETHING'S HAPPENING IN THERE, LET'S GO IN PARTNER', and start shooting up the place? It just doesn't make sense. They would have done what they were trained to do, as Meg so unjustly mocked them for. There was no hint, no shove of the hair, no blood on her hands, no blinking. She gave them nothing. There was no real reason for them to come back, especially with a whole team of back up.

People coming with this 'maybe the neighbours heard this' or 'maybe someone saw the body from the street and called the cops back' is not acceptable, you can't just make guess work for the movie to make sense. If none of this is shown to you why would you just assume it happened? And I don't mean in the sense of 'well you don't see people go to the toilet or shower so obviously they don't do that either', I just mean things that actually make the plot more understandable/moves it forward.

The movie really had me invested up until this point, the last 20 minutes completely lost it for me. From the cops being sent away to her attempting to set up this elaborate unnecessary plan to the whole using a sledgehammer instead of a gun to the cops busting in at the end anyway .. Horrible way to end a movie.

They made Forrest's character this ideas man with drills and propane and phone lines and all sorts, but when it comes to them actually leaving the house when they've got what they came for, he gets to a few locked doors and thinks 'Oh i better go the way the woman who's been out here smashing cameras wants me to go instead of attempting to open any of these doors and run right out the door. That'll end well.' Good Lord.