[P2]
Plot:Centers on a corporate climber who gets stuck working late on Christmas Eve and finds herself the target of an unhinged security guard. With no help in sight, the woman must overcome physical and psychological challenges to survive.

Cast:Rachel Nichols, Simon Reynolds, Wes Bentley, Grace Lynn Kung, Paul Sun-Hyung Lee.

My Thoughts:Interesting new spin put on an old formula.

Review::"P2" from director Franck Khalfoun takes the age old formular of "guy who just can't take no for an answer", and decides to try and do something new with it. The movie, which stars Wes Bentley and Rachel Nichols follows a corporate woman named Angela Bridges who is on her way to her sisters house for Christmas Eve dinner with her family. Everything is set up for an uneventful evening until Angela tries to leave for the night and finds that she can't get out of the building, which is all of a sudden locked up tight. It doesn't take long before it's revealed to Angela who is responsible for it all, and why.

Now she has to either fight to escape, or become just another statistic. "P2" follows the typical crazy guy stalks hot chick formula, which we've seen in films like "Christina's House", "Fatal Attraction", and on and on. But it still manages to make the formula an interesting watch due to it's cast of characters. Wes Bentley as Thomas the psychotic security guard with a deadly crush does an excellent job in his role. I never really believed Bentley had it in him to play a character like this but he does pretty well in the role.

Nichols as corporate climber Angela sort of works her way into her role, getting better and more interesting to watch as her character goes from victim to target, and eventually makes the transition to agressor. "P2" offers up some things new and some things old. Yes we all know that once Tom lets down his guard, or once Angela suckers him in, she'll make a move and escape her restraints, thus signaling that the chase is on. And we all know that this pursuit will take us all the way up until the end of the movie where a huge battle will ensue.

Yes that's all here, but Khalfoun and Alex Aja who wrote the script, reorganize the above instances, having some of them take place earlier or later than the audience would normally expect. The duo also throws in some new things as well like a chilvarous side to the antagonist, and a vicious dog which acts as a second antagonist to the films heroine. And to their credit, that's what keeps this film interesting to watch. Predictability kills any movie, and while something things in "P2" are predictable and are only a matter of time away from happening, there are also many times where you're surprised by a few things that occur. The formula is also refreshed by the films setting, which alternate from the lower levels of the large skyscraper, to the dark, quiet parking lot below ground.

The settings really make the movie work, and the fact that music isn't overused in the film also gives it a very likeable and much needed ominous tone. "P2" only has a few scattered gruesome scenes here and there, but for a film that mixes horror with thriller, I was never expecting something extremely graphic and violent. Although I'm sure the lack of violence will disappoint some. The chemistry between Nichols and Bentley aslo helps along the movie, with the two really playing off the arch-enemy relationship really well, and that being coupled with Nichols playing the damzel in distress good enough and Bentley really playing up his psycho role.

"P2" shines immensely in it's final act, ending the film on very intense note which is something movie like this really cannot succeed without, a wild and thrilling climax. While it's not the most original film to come out to theaters this year, and will probably be forgotten quickly by most who see it..."P2" still manages to entertain and thrill by mixing alot of old, with some interesting new.

Positives:Good performances by Bentley and Nichols, a good setting for the story to unfold in, some very intense scenes, a great climax.

Negatives:Could've used more bloody kills. I wasn't expecting alot of bloody deaths, but two or three more would've been a pleasant surprise.

Overall:A pretty good flick.





( Talk about it in the Forums!)



( Back to the main page)