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PANIC

"A Hopeless Spiral"

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What You Need To Know:

William H. Macy stars in PANIC as an unhappy hitman named Alex who seeks therapy as he struggles with unresolved anger and his idea of a mid-life crisis. Alex tries in vain to hold his marriage together, be a loving father to his 6-year-old son and fulfill the demands of his father’s “family business.” Alex desperately wants to quit his line of work but is easily manipulated by his controlling father. His distorted view of morality and his desire to break the cycle of dysfunction with his own son are poignant and tragic realities of this story. Ultimately, the actions of his repressed anger create the very dysfunctional pain he wants his son to avoid.

Throughout PANIC, there are profound and touching conversations between Alex and his son, Sammy, that are sweet, loving and hopeful. Sammy is particularly moving as he discusses God, infinity and other deep truths of life with his father. The movie’s climactic confrontation is prompted as Alex is moved to protect Sammy from the cruel intentions of the boy’s grandfather. A stellar cast makes this a fascinating movie, yet it is darkly disturbing and filled with strongly offensive language and subject matter.

Content:

(B, AbAb, H, Ro, Ho, LLL, VV, SS, A, MM) Very mild moral worldview showing the wages of sin & protagonist’s son has questions about God during profound, hopeful discussions with his mixed-up father, but characters have a twisted, anti-biblical sense of moral values in story about a hitman facing a “mid-life crisis” while desiring to express his unresolved anger, plus movie contains some humanist, romantic & homosexual elements; 3 blasphemies, 16 profanities, 32 obscenities (with 21 “f” words), & 7 vulgarities; several execution-style shootings, including the killing of a policeman, child forced to shoot & kill a small animal, child cruelly teased by grandparent, muggers beat man, & woman accidentally cuts hand; implied adultery & promiscuity, seduction, woman confesses to being a lesbian, two women kiss then briefly shown sleeping in bed together; woman in underwear & woman removes her shirt in front of man (though nothing is shown); drinking; smoking; and, movie explores themes of adultery, jealousy, seduction, lying, & family dysfunction, father radically distorts morality to son in flashback, & mother breaks promise to her son.

More Detail:

William H. Macy (FARGO and MAGNOLIA) stars in PANIC as an unhappy hitman named Alex who seeks therapy as he struggles with unresolved anger and his idea of a mid-life crisis. Alex (Macy) tries in vain to hold his marriage together, be a loving father to his 6-year-old son and fulfill the demands of his father’s “family business.”

Alex desperately wants to quit his line of work but is easily manipulated by his controlling father, played by Donald Sutherland. His profession demands absolute secrecy, but it leaves Alex craving for intimacy. Embracing the myth of a mid-life crisis, Alex pursues an adulterous affair with a younger woman to attempt to fill the emotional void thrust upon him by his father. His distorted view of morality and his desire to break the cycle of dysfunction with his own son are poignant and tragic realities of this story. Ultimately, the actions of his repressed anger create the very dysfunctional pain he wants his own son to avoid.

Throughout PANIC, there are profound and touching conversations between Alex and his 6-year-old son, Sammy, that are sweet, loving and hopeful. Sammy (David Dorfman) is particularly moving as he discusses God, infinity and other deep truths of life with his father. The movie’s climactic confrontation is prompted as Alex is moved to defend and protect Sammy from the cruel intentions of the boy’s grandfather.

PANIC’s title is clearly a reference to “suddenly destroying self-control and impelling one to some frantic action.” It is painful to watch hopeless and helpless characters trapped in the vicious cycle of sin. A stellar cast makes this a fascinating movie, yet it is darkly disturbing and filled with strongly offensive language and subject matter.

Now more than ever we’re bombarded by darkness in media, movies, and TV. Movieguide® has fought back for almost 40 years, working within Hollywood to propel uplifting and positive content. We’re proud to say we’ve collaborated with some of the top industry players to influence and redeem entertainment for Jesus. Still, the most influential person in Hollywood is you. The viewer.

What you listen to, watch, and read has power. Movieguide® wants to give you the resources to empower the good and the beautiful. But we can’t do it alone. We need your support.

You can make a difference with as little as $7. It takes only a moment. If you can, consider supporting our ministry with a monthly gift. Thank you.

Movieguide® is a 501c3 and all donations are tax deductible.


Now more than ever we’re bombarded by darkness in media, movies, and TV. Movieguide® has fought back for almost 40 years, working within Hollywood to propel uplifting and positive content. We’re proud to say we’ve collaborated with some of the top industry players to influence and redeem entertainment for Jesus. Still, the most influential person in Hollywood is you. The viewer.

What you listen to, watch, and read has power. Movieguide® wants to give you the resources to empower the good and the beautiful. But we can’t do it alone. We need your support.

You can make a difference with as little as $7. It takes only a moment. If you can, consider supporting our ministry with a monthly gift. Thank you.

Movieguide® is a 501c3 and all donations are tax deductible.