P2 (2007)

P2. Let's pray there is never a P3 or even a P1-The Prequel.

Ambitious, overworked young woman becomes the obsession of a crazed security guard who manages to orchestrate holding her hostage in the parking garage of the building she works... on Christmas Eve, no less.

The whole cat and mouse-mouse gets bloody-mouse turns tables on cat premise has been played and overplayed, and now it is just plain being abused. The stalking scenes are boring. The psycho (Wes Bentley) is an obnoxious twit, rarely scary, always annoying. Rachel Nichols does a fair job here as the victim, but ironically falls "victim" to Hollywood's whoring her out in a white slip boasting her cleavage to maintain the attention of feeble minds and teen mallrats.

Miss this and I assure you, you won't miss a thing.

Fmovies: I have been anticipating this film for awhile. i heard it was made by the people who brought us high tension and I knew the film would be good. The film tells the story of Angela, who is working late on Christmas Eve. She is leaving for a get together with family when her car will not start. If that wasn't bad enough, she is also locked in her work building. Angela is helpless and someone wants to help her. Someone wants to be with her. On Christmas eve, Angela is held captive in the parking garage and wants to get out. She'll do anything to get out. Before going to the movie today, i had read so-so reviews saying that the film is predictable, boring and unoriginal. Sorry, but what horror/thriller film is original these days? The plot is not original by any means, but it does have one thing that makes the film great and that is realism. The film is very much realistic, and it's just one of those situations you could see happening to you or one of your friends. What also makes me love this film, is that instead of getting some villain killer in a mask chasing some helpless girl, you get a regular guy, who in times, you feel sorry for, and a woman who is just like an everyday person. She is the heroine, but at the same time, remains the victim. She is smart for a character and has some very kick ass moments, but she is still scared, crying and nervous. The acting was good. It was a bit eh at parts, but for the most part, remained fine. Rachel Nichols shined in this film and really plays the character well. All you want her to do is go home to her family in the end. And Wes Bentley, is superb in this film. Everybody says that his acting was bad in this film, but i don't see that at all. He is so psychotic in the film, yet acts like a friend at the same time. Other than that, other characters were just extras. The film paces itself pretty good, but in parts drags on and you're just thinking to yourself, come on. The character development is good. You get to know the main character and you feel for her, which is the main object. Not only that, but also, at times feel for the villain.

Overall, the film is great. There are flaws, but seriously, what film doesn't have flaws. It can't be perfect. So, Good Characters, Good story, and just an edge of your seat thriller. If you can see this in theaters, you should. Recommended. If you like High Tension, you will like this film.

8/10

Woman working late on Christmas eve is trapped by a psycho security guard in her office parking garage. Better than this has any right to be, this is actually a good little thriller. Psycho stalker films are not my cup of tea, but this one is actually pretty good thanks to a sense of humor, sense of horror, and a sense of place. if you've ever been in a garage you'll feel right at home at being uneasy. The director was an actor in the French horror film High Tension a film that I thought fell apart in the end, Here he's taken what worked in the earlier film and manages to make it work all the way to the end. If I have any real complaint is that the film is probably much longer than it should be, still if you like this sort of thing you're sure to be pleased.

P2 fmovies. Make no mistake this is an Alexander Aja film. Like his masterpiece High Tension and his mega disturbing remake of Hills Have Eyes P2 aims for the throat and never lets go. Although the film is a little absurd and over the top in places it still makes for a fantastically entertaining watch. The film is polished ans stylish and features a powerhouse performance from rachael Nichols. she stars as Angela an overworked young business woman who becomes the victim of an obsessive security guard who murders in her name. What starts out as a timidly intense little thriller eventually turns into an all out splatterfest with blood galore and tension to boot. Audience members were clapping and some ran for the doors. P2 is a surprising new addition to an otherwise old concept. It's energetic and scary and just a lil silly.

This movie takes a long time to get going, and I frequently found myself throwing in the flag. There are a lot of events which happen that just don't make sense and don't ring true. Initially Wes Bentley irritated me, but eventually I got to like him and his character. He's pretty good at playing a dissociative psychopath. Once the story got going it was easy to forgive the obvious mistakes and just have fun with it. The setting, a parking garage, is very cold and unforgiving. It's all concrete. That aesthetic helps set a tone that Thomas is going to be unforgiving. closed, and cold with people he doesn't like. Angela (Rachel Nichols) doesn't suffer from stupid chick syndrome. She makes a few smart moves, and that makes it easy to root for her and empathize with her. You want her to kick butt, but Thomas is a pretty strong opponent.

So, P2... it looks like it would be a crap movie. But it's actually pretty good. I KNOW!!! Coming from an art background and as an avid fan of suspense and horror films I found this film was pretty smart and responsible. Rachel Nichols performance was really good, and the scenario plays out believably while avoiding a plethora of gender stereotypes, as well as confrontational stereotypes.

The characters are interesting and dynamic is great. From their first interactions, and the interplay between them it's clear how involved the process was in trying to capture those moments.

As far as the story goes, it's a pretty standard fair for a suspense thriller type of film. What makes this one work is the consideration given to selling the moments truthfully and keeping scenes honest. Right down to the end of the film. Wes Bently is a really gifted actor, his performance was candid, truthful and filled with a lot of well expressed anxiety and isolation. But never really expressed vocally, but it's always present in his character. Rachel Nichols is straight aces with her exploration of her characters pensive and diplomatic displacement in the situation she finds herself in. These two carry the film. The only problem I had was that one character was never really at the center, and I really wanted to know more than what I was being provided. I think some more time with either Bently's or Nichol's characters could have made a world a difference in really attaching us to them. I would say more so for Bently's security guard... he has an implied back-story, but I wanted to see more... how he functions outside of his job a little.

Something that really divides Seven from all it's other rip-offs and variations is the focus on the subtle specifics of Mills and Somerset's world, how definite and impractical their ethics are in the environments they inhabit. And then, how liberal and apathetic they are when faced with John Doe's absolute nature. This dynamic is that missing ingredient from P2. You're not really given an identifiable attachment to either of the core characters.

But overall, a movie I greatly under-estimated... This film does deserve a good look, but don't expect it to be something like "The Eye" or "Skeleton Key". It's a much richer and culturally considerate tapestry than films of that ilk, but isn't rich enough to be a classic like "Seven". It's a good film that I am sure didn't fully get it's dues.