Panic (2000 film)


Panic is a 2000 American crime film directed by Henry Bromell and starring William H. Macy, Neve Campbell, Tracey Ullman, John Ritter and Donald Sutherland.
Panic premiered at the 2000 Sundance Film Festival, and went on to receive universal critical acclaim from critics, some of which called it one of the best movies of 2000. The performances of William H. Macy, John Ritter, and Donald Sutherland were hailed by critics.

Plot

Alex, a sad-eyed mournful man, lives a double life: he is married with a day job, and is a professional hitman. Trained by his father Michael from youth, Alex is dissatisfied with his work and wishes to leave the business behind. He goes into psychotherapy disclosing that he is a hit man and also tells Dr. Josh Parks, his psychiatrist, after a few sessions that he is attracted to a young woman he has met in the waiting room. She is Sarah, 23, quick, edgy, and perhaps attracted to him as well, but he is married, so Sarah brushes him off.
In flashbacks we see him get his start as a killer in the family business, at his father's prompting, from his killing of a squirrel as a young boy, to his first kill as a teenager. Worried that Alex is ratting him out, Michael gives Alex his next assignment: to kill Dr. Parks. Alex delays, while Dr. Parks, fearing for his own safety, contacts a police detective, Larson. Alex keeps returning to Sarah, calling her, stopping by her apartment, as he decides what to do about the hit, his father, his marriage and his malaise; eventually entering an affair with Sarah. His wife soon discovers the affair and abandons him, not before he discovers that his father had been grooming his son as a future assassin. Furious, he drives up to Michael's home and shoots him dead, only to be killed himself by Larson, who had been secretly following him.

Cast

The film received critical acclaim from critics, and holds a 91% "Fresh" rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 56 reviews, with a consensus stating "This quirky little film about a gangster in therapy feels fresh and well-crafted." Roger Ebert gave the film four stars. Leonard Maltin gave the film two and a half stars but praised the acting, calling it "excellent." Lisa Nesselson of Variety wrote "Pic’s title implies frenzy and wild activity, but the film’s charm evolves from its measured, unhurried rhythms, and originality from the tone: quirky yet convincing, irreverent yet moral."