Factual error: After the intruders flood the panic room with propane, Jody Foster's character gets a lighter and ignites the propane causing it to burn along the ceiling. This would be impossible as propane is heavier than air and would sink to the floor rather than rise up to the ceiling. Lighting a flame in that room should have caused anyone in the room and on the floor to be engulfed in flames almost instantly.
Panic Room (2002)
Plot summary
Directed by: David Fincher
Starring: Forest Whitaker, Jodie Foster, Kristen Stewart, Jared Leto, Dwight Yoakam
Soon-to-be divorced Meg and daughter Sarah move into a luxurious NYC townhouse, complete with a panic room—a steel enclosed security space equipped with sensors, closed circuit TV, phone (not yet hooked up), toilet, supplies, etc. During their first night in the house, three men, Junior, Raoul, and Burnum, break in. Expecting the house to be empty, they’re intent on finding something hidden inside the panic room.
Meg wakes up and goes to the bathroom. She spots the three on the security camera. She awakens Sarah and they lock themselves inside the panic room. They’re safe, but cannot stay inside long. Sarah is diabetic and her insulin kit is in her bedroom. If they can’t get to it soon, Sarah will slip into a coma and die. The intruders have no intention of leaving and are working on a plan to get into the panic room.
More mistakes in Panic RoomMore quotes from Panic Room
Trivia: Not really a mistake, but an interesting note. When Jodie Foster phones the ex girlfriend listen to the voice on the phone, it's Nicole Kidman's - she was originally chosen for this role but was unable to due to a minor injury.
Question: Why would 911 put them on hold?
Answer: There could be a serious major event happening nearby where all the resources needed to be sent ASAP. The 911 operator had to prioritize and assumed the current caller's emergency - whatever it was - was less urgent. There could have been a shortage of operators for whatever reason.
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Answer: They wouldn't in real life. This was a plot contrivance.
raywest ★
It does happen in real life, and it is sadly a common occurrence in big cities. Living in Los Angeles, I've had to dial 911 a few times. I was on hold for 5 minutes once, and I've read articles about people who have been on hold for way longer. With this film being set in New York city, this did not surprise me. Even Meg and Sarah don't seem too surprised by it, and they opt to call Sarah's father instead.
jshy7979