David Fincher comes closer than ever to getting everything right with "Panic Room."

Fincher's filmography to date has become a rather frustrating experience because even his best works — "The Game" and "Fight Club" — have irritating flaws (either in plot, story structure or characterization) that prevent them from reaching greatness.

The same could also be said of his latest, a suspense-thriller that again features Fincher's characteristically startling visual style and an almost palpable sense of intensity (if you're not gripping your armrests through this one, you'd better check your pulse).

But as usual, the film is relatively character-thin and ends with a real thud — not one bad enough to ruin the movie, but it may make you wonder what might the film have been with just one more script revision.

"Panic Room" refers to a hiding place in the new home of Manhattanite Meg Altman (Jodie Foster), who is separated from her wealthy husband and has been looking for a safe home for herself and her teenage daughter Sarah (Kristen Stewart).

And few homes would be safer than this brownstone. For one thing, it's got a hidden room that's surrounded by concrete and has its own air and power supplies, as well as a row of video monitors.

As it turns out, that room comes in real handy during their first night in the house. That's when a trio of robbers (Forest Whitaker, Dwight Yoakam and Jared Leto, sporting a corn-row hairstyle) decide to break in. Meg quickly gets herself and Sarah into the room, but she also leaves her cell phone behind. Through the home's intercom system, she's able to communicate with the crooks, who inform her that the object they're searching for is actually in that room.

Throughout the film, Fincher makes numerous allusions to Hitchcock, especially the dazzling city skyline title credits and Howard Shore's Bernard Herrmann-like score. And the eye-popping camera work — by Oscar-winner Conrad Hall and Darius Knondji — clearly pays tribute to Orson Welles (watch for several "how'd-they-do-that?" tricks that Welles would have loved).

Fincher has also paced the film well, helping cover up some of the obvious holes in David Koepp's clever but superficial script, which fails to make Meg as interesting a character as the criminals — especially Whitaker's surprisingly sympathetic security expert. Foster doesn't help, as she's patrician and aloof (although, in her defense, she did replace Nicole Kidman at the 11th hour, when Kidman dropped out with a "Moulin Rouge" injury).

"Panic Room" is rated R for violence (gunplay and beatings), occasional use of strong sexual profanity, gore, use of crude sexual slang, drug content (hypodermics) and a brief scene of torture. Running time: 108 minutes.

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