William H. Macy has these certain mannerisms that allows him to play the role of the quietly troubled man so well. His characters never seem to yell or snarl. They are mild mannered and composed, though seemingly always with a hint of sadness; it's in his drooping face and puppy eyes. He is at his best when he plays a normal man with stifled emotions waiting to burst out but can't quite express how he truly feels. He's brilliant in Fargo, Boogie Nights, The Cooler and this little gem I just found, Panic.
We first see Alex talking to a shrink. He seems like a pretty normal guy, perhaps just going through a midlife crisis. When asked what he does, he calmly replies, "I've got two jobs. I run a small mail order business out of the house. Lawn ornaments, kitchen geegaws, sexual aids, things like that." The other job? "I work for my father. I kill people." Alex grew up in the family business and he's thinking of quitting. He tells his mother this and she chides him for being selfish. "Your father built this business from nothing through his hard work. I won't let you quit." For a second I think she might mean the mail order bit but she adds, "You can quit the mail order thing, but not the family business." He was groomed to be a hitman by his parents for better or worse and lately it's been worse.
Alex is good at his job, he's been doing it his whole life, but he doesn't seem to be built for it. Patient and loving father? Yes. Cold calculating hitman? Not so much. It is interesting to note the tender moments he shares with his son Sammy and to contrast it with the flashbacks of Alex as a child with his own father. Clearly he is trying to be a better father to Sammy than his own father was to him. What kind of father puts a gun in a six year old's hands?
Panic is all about repressed anger and unhappiness brooding underneath the surface. In some ways you could call this a poor man's American Beauty. When he falls for the strange twenty-something Sara in the waiting room you immediately think of the high school cheer leader. The film does a marvelous job in showcasing Alex's drab existence; the melancholy he feels oozes through the screen.
The plot of the film revolves around a new job that his father has lined up for him and also his crumbling marriage. Alex has spent his whole life letting others make decisions for him; here he will have to make two crucial ones. Does he do the job like he always has or does he tell his father he quits? Does he pursue the enigmatic Sara or try to work out his crumbling marriage?
It's hard to say I enjoyed the film because it's such a drab and serious experience, but I found myself fascinated nonetheless. William H. Macy is great in a quietly powerful performance. Neve Campbell who plays Sara seems more of a caricature, an ideal for Alex to pursue, but displays several layers of complication that keeps things interesting. The kid who plays Sammy is delightful and his scenes with Macy are particularly heartwarming. It is a well acted movie all the way around. I will say though that there isn't a lot of mystery to the film. When Alex opens the envelope revealing his next target, I knew all the clues and could guess how it would play out in the end. When Sammy spends time alone with his grandfather I already know what for and how Alex would react. I suspect the film's simplicity is also a great part of its strength. It allows you to focus more on the conflicted emotions of the film.
Grade: B+
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