Panic (2000)

Alex, a hit man, tries to get out of the family business, but his father won't let him do so. While seeking the help of a therapist, he meets a sexually charged 23-year-old woman with whom he falls in love.

Director:

Henry Bromell

Writer:

Henry Bromell

Stars:

William H. Macy, Neve Campbell, John Ritter

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
William H. Macy	...	Alex
John Ritter	...	Dr. Josh Parks
Neve Campbell	...	Sarah Cassidy
Donald Sutherland	...	Michael
Tracey Ullman	...	Martha
Barbara Bain	...	Deidre
David Dorfman	...	Sammy
Tina Lifford	...	Dr. Leavitt
Bix Barnaba	...	Louie
Nicholle Tom	...	Tracy
Thomas Curtis	...	Alex - Age 7
Andrea Baker	...	Candice (as Andrea Taylor)
Steven Moreno	...	Sean (as Steve Moreno)
Erica Ortega	...	Rachel
Greg Pitts	...	Alex - Age 20

Storyline

Alex, a sad-eyed mournful man, goes into psychotherapy: he discloses he's a hit man. He also tells the doctor, after a few sessions, that he's attracted to a young woman he's met in the waiting room. She's Sarah, 23, quick, edgy, and perhaps attracted to him as well. But he's married, the dutiful father of a young precocious boy, so Sarah brushes him off. In flashbacks we see him get his start as a killer, at his father's prompting: it's the family business. Dad gives Alex his next assignment: to kill the therapist. 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.

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Plot Keywords:

family business | love | marriage | flashback | utah teapot | 

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Taglines:

A Story of Family, Lust, Murder ...and Other Midlife Crises

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Genres:

Comedy | Crime | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language and elements of violence

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

26 April 2001 (Singapore)

Also Known As:

Panic

Filming Locations:

Huntington Beach, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$1,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$18,006, 3 December 2000

Gross USA:

$779,137

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$779,137

Company Credits

Production Co:

Artisan Entertainment, Mad Chance, The Vault

Technical Specs

Runtime:

88 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

William H. Macy and Neve Campbell co-starred together again 15 years later in the movie Walter (2015).

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Quotes

Michael: [Coaching Alex on his first hit] Okay, let's go. Now, you get over there and do your job. We've got a reputation to protect. Come on. Remember what I told you: keep it fast and simple. Don't meet his eyes. Just walk up, do your job, and walk away. I'll be right here waiting for you. Go on. You can do it.

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Connections

Featured in At the Movies: The Pledge/The Amati Girls/Snatch/Panic (2001)

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Soundtracks

The Other Side of Never
Performed by Samsara
Written by Paris Hampton, Timothy Bright, Alan Friedman
Published by 60 Cycle/All Art Is Quite Useless Music/Blue Bathrobe

User Reviews

Alas, It Had Potential

Panic has a great cast. The acting is superb. An illogical and unrealistic plot, however, dooms the film. Maybe, I've been spoiled by the Godfather movies or other well-constructed crime films, but big-time hit men earning the money it takes to live in Macy's neighborhood, as depicted in this film, don't walk, talk and live like college professors. They have heavy mob connections or if international killers, live shadow lives away from common life. Macy is obviously pushing 50, yet we are to believe that after earning his living by contract killing since his youth, he is suddenly overcome by the realization that his chosen "profession" and his father are evil? What planet do you live on people? That's a farce!