Film Review: P2
The so-called “torture-porn” genre has prevailed this year in the horror genre with such films as HOSTEL PART 2, CAPTIVITY, and THE HILLS HAVE EYES 2 (not to mention all the straight to DVD films). The new film P2 is more in line with CAPTIVITY in that there is only a single female protagonist who must overcome her torturous captor.
Angela Bridges (Rachel Nicols of television’s ALIAS) is working late on Christmas Eve at her office building in order to finish a few mistakes of her co-workers. It seems she is always cleaning up after her co-workers and never stepping up for herself. When her car doesn’t start she finds herself locked in the parking lot on level P2 (hence the title), just another day in her endless life of compromises. Fearing that she might not make it home for Christmas Eve diner with the family she constantly neglects she seeks the help of the building security guard Thomas (Wes Bentley) who is stuck alone at the building over the three day holiday weekend.
When Thomas is unable to satisfy Angela’s desire to leave the building he drugs her and holds her captive in his office. It is only a matter of time before Angela realizes that there is more to Thomas when she realizes that he knows more about her then he is letting on and that he has no plans of letting her go.
P2 is a tense psychological thriller in the vein of HIGH TENSION, which is not surprising since this film is produced by the same team that produced that film. Director Alexandre Aja writes the screenplay with collaborators Gregory Levasseur and Frank Kalfoun, who also directors. Like that film there is much gore to be had although small doses since the cast is really small and this film is really about the tension between these two people.
Nicols makes for a credible protagonist against Bentley who borders on manic psycho. The true character of the film is the parking lot itself, which becomes an intricate maze in which Nicols finds herself the mouse within a trap only Bentley has the key to.
The plot is very simple (ala HIGH TENSION) but the film is fast paced and never lets up from beginning to end, which is the film’s greatest strength. It’s an entertaining companion film to Aja’s HIGH TENSION but Nicols is definitely no Cecile De France. At least not yet.