Panic

Synopsis: 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.
Genre: Comedy, Crime, Drama
Director(s): Henry Bromell
Production: Roxie Releasing
  2 nominations.
 
IMDB:
6.8
Metacritic:
77
Rotten Tomatoes:
91%
R
Year:
2000
88 min
1,415 Views


You ever get the

feeling you're dead?

Like some dog

lying in the street...

that's been hit by a car

and left there to rot?

Like I don't know why... why I

bother getting up in the morning.

we've been through this before, alex.

You suffer from mood swings.

You're depressive.

I met someone. Someone?

A girl.

You're married, alex.

The thing is,

when I see her, this girl,

I don't feel dead anymore.

- Who is she?

- Just some girl.

What's her name? I don't know.

When did you meet her?

Few weeks ago.

Where? Here.

Out in the waiting room, the

first time I came to see you.

First time? Excuse me?

This is your first time, right?

Uh, yeah.

I can tell.

You have to push the button.

Now what? Wait.

No smoking.

I think dr. Leavitt's got a potential

suicide on her hands or something.

Excuse me?

The shrink I'm waiting for...

dr. Leavitt...

she's 15 minutes late, came out here and

apologized that she had an emergency...

did I mind waiting?

I said, "no." I was still reading this

article on how to keep your marriage alive.

Listen to this. "I suggest a

candlelit dinner once a week...

"and maybe a good foot massage...

something gentle and intimate to

bring a couple back together again."

So sad, don't you think?

People fall in love, they can't

stop thinking about each other,

they can't keep their hands off of each

other, then who knows what happens?

They suddenly don't like each other anymore?

Maybe it's not so sudden.

Anyway, I finished the article, and now

I'm just sitting here, waiting, like you.

What's your problem?

I don't have a problem.

Then why are you here?

Alex? That's me.

Hi. I'm dr. Parks.

Come on in, alex. Sit down.

There's nothing wrong with me.

Excuse me?

I'm not sick or, you know, crazy.

I'm a therapist, alex.

Therapy is as common

as gasoline.

It's what we need

to keep us going.

It's not a mental ward. Please.

So, tell me, Sam Graylee

sent you my way? Yes.

Sam's a good doctor.

How old are you, alex?

- What are you doing?

- Making notes.

No notes.

Okay, no notes.

What do you do for a living?

I've got two jobs.

I run a small mail-order

business out of the house...

lawn ornaments, kitchen gewgaws,

sexual aids, things like that.

And the rest of the time?

I work for my father.

Doing what?

I kill people.

Who was he?

I don't know.

- You get paid for killing people?

- Mm-hmm.

You're joking.

You're testing me.

No.

Is that why you're here?

What do you mean?

I mean, are you here seeking professional

help because you kill people?

No. I'm confused. Why

are you here then?

I-I don't...

I don't really know.

I've never been

to a shrink before.

I don't believe in shrinks.

We are who we are, right?

I should go. I'm gonna go.

Sorry. I'm wasting your time.

How much do I owe you?

Each session is $125.

Ouch. What are you

feeling right now?

Poor. I'm just kidding.

What are you really

feeling, alex?

Tired. I feel tired.

Deidre, why does our son

avoid me?

I'm not avoiding you.

We were supposed to have

lunch today, mr. No-show.

L-I had a doctor's appointment.

Doctor's appointment? Which doctor?

Graylee.

You could've told me.

You left me in a lurch.

I was sittin' there like a bride

at an altar, for Christ's sake.

Dad, I'm sorry, okay? I forgot.

Are you sick? No.

You okay? I mean, why didn't

you tell me? I'm fine.

What's wrong with you? Nothing's wrong with me.

I said I'm fine.

Well, if you're fine, how

come you went to the doctor?

My back's been hurting. L-i thought

I might have pulled something.

What'd dr. Graylee say?

He said I pulled something. That's it?

You pulled something?

He said, "take it easy. Don't lift

heavy objects, like your wife."

Very funny.

I'm thinking of quitting. Quitting?

Quitting what?

Work.

Oh! You're gonna be a bum.

Mom, I'm serious.

I can't do this anymore.

Just exactly what

can't you do anymore?

Mom, you know.

Oh! You suddenly got scruples.

- I've been seeing a shrink.

- A shrink?

And don't tell martha. I wanna keep this private.

That goes for dad too.

What are you seeing a shrink for?

You're not crazy.

I'm stuck. I'm in a rut.

I'm asleep on my damn feet.

Now you listen to me.

Your father worked hard all his

life to make this business.

He made it with his hands, on his own.

Nobody helped him.

And now you wanna break

his heart?

That's the thanks he gets? No.

I won't let it happen. No.

Give up that

mail-order nonsense, fine.

But the family business, no.

No, not that.

Are you getting enough from martha lately?

Is she holding up?

Mom, for god's sake.

Don't "for god's sake" me.

Men don't get their sex, they get

wacky, and you are talking wacky.

Dad, what does god look like?

Mm, no one really knows

for sure.

Do you know what I think he looks like?

Tell me.

I think he's in the sky

with his arms around the earth.

Does he have a beard? No.

Does he have glasses? No.

Does he have a hat? No, but

he sure has a noseguard.

All right. Go to sleep.

Dad, what's infinity?

Infinity...

is something that doesn't end.

That's impossible.

Everything ends.

Close your eyes. Close your eyes.

Dad, are you gonna die?

Not if I can help it. But you're

gonna die when you get old?

Well, sooner or later,

I guess, yeah.

And mom... and grandpa

and grandma?

Yeah, but not for a long time.

Nothin' you have to worry about.

And me one day too? Sammy.

It's late. It's a

school night, remember?

Good night, dad. Good night, sweetheart.

Close your eyes.

Sleep tight.

Don't let the... what?

Don't let the... robbers

come through the window?

Go to sleep.

He's seeing a shrink.

Our son. Who?

Alex is seeing a shrink? Mm-hmm.

What for? I can't imagine.

Shrink.

They talk, right?

Spills his guts?

It's his age. Maybe it'll pass.

On the other hand,

maybe you're losing him.

Like hell I am.

I thought you should know.

Please, don't say anything. I

promised him I wouldn't tell you.

It's so... sensitive.

I just thought you should know.

I'm late.

I hate having to compress a whole

week's tragedies into 50 minutes.

I mean, it's probably all they're

worth at most. I know that.

But the fact of the matter is,

they're my tragedies.

They're all I've got, and I don't

wanna have to just rush through them.

Not for 130 bucks an hour,

thank you very much.

- Hundred and thirty?

- Yeah. Why? How much do you pay?

Hundred and twenty-five.

I'll be damned.

That b*tch is overcharging me.

Hi, sarah.

Hi.

- Sorry I'm late.

- That-that's your name, huh? Sarah?

- Sarah cassidy.

- Alex.

Why'd you come back, alex?

I don't know.

Are you married? Mm-hmm.

- What's your wife's name?

- Martha.

Children? A boy...

sammy. He's six.

Does martha know what you do?

Mm-mm.

Would she approve if she did know?

Mm-mm.

Alex, if you're going

to continue seeing me,

it's important that I'm

clear about the rules.

What you say in here about the

past is completely protected...

by doctor-patient

confidentiality,

but if I think a crime

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Henry Bromell

Alfred Henry Bromell (September 19, 1947 – March 18, 2013) was an American novelist, screenwriter, and director. more…

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Submitted on August 05, 2018

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    "Panic" Scripts.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 21 Nov. 2024. <https://www.scripts.com/script/panic_15526>.

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