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P2 (2007)
Damsel in Distress
Directed By: Franck Khalfoun
Starring: Rachel Nichols & Wes Bentley
MPAA Rating: “R” (for strong violence/gore, terror and language)
Starring: Rachel Nichols & Wes Bentley
MPAA Rating: “R” (for strong violence/gore, terror and language)
P2 (2007) comes from Franck Khalfoun, a first-time director who is probably most famous for a friendship with modern-day horror master, Alexandre Aja (who produces here). It is a basic thriller, putting a beautiful woman against a crazed psychopath in a confined space. The woman is played by the beautiful and talented Rachel Nichols who you may recognize as the scantily-clad babysitter from The Amityville Horror (2005). She plays Angela, a corporate climber who is working late on Christmas Eve. When she finally tries to leave, however, she finds herself locked in the parking garage. As panic sets in, she meets the strangely over-welcoming attendant, Thomas (Bentley). Very quickly, Angela realizes that Thomas is not willing to let her leave and that, if she wants to survive the night, she must finally fight back.
I had been anticipating P2 for quite a while, but I missed it in theaters. Quick to snag the DVD, it was a blind-buy for me (something I rarely do). Now, having just watched it, I found most of the hype to be rather warranted...though not completely. P2 is not a redefinition of the horror genre (what we have all come to expect from Aja and his screenwriting partner, Grégory Levasseur)...instead, it fits snuggly within the typical mold of the genre. Everything, from the partially-exposed cleavage to the carefully-articulated sprays of blood, is calculated down to the very second. You have seen this all before. Where P2 succeeds, however, is in its execution. You may know the plot and all of its turns instantly, but P2 delivers it in such a way that is fresh, vibrant, and alive.
P2 is one of the few films that rely solely on the chemistry between the two lead characters, rather than the gratuitous deaths of pointless side characters (though, those are present as well). Much of the film is focused on the tense interaction between Angela and Thomas, two dynamic characters who clash because of their personal differences: he is crazy, and she is not. As she finds herself kidnapped, bound with chains and handcuffs, and emotionally tortured, she perhaps transcends the typical “woman in danger.” We met her as a tougher-than-normal woman, perhaps hardened by years of business life, and she displays this throughout the movie. There is no startling moment where she suddenly gains the superhuman strength necessary to turn the tables; there is just the moment of opportunity, the time where she is finally, by pure chance, able to gain the upper hand. She is a smart girl, not making the dumb mistakes that other big-breasted girls usually do in these kinds of movies.
P2, as I have said, follows a basic slasher film formula, except it throws in a few unexpected spices along the way. Wes Bentley as the deranged sociopath is an original villain, not a hulking mass of brainless muscle with a machete and not a completely blubbering loon who spits and waves his arms around. He is somewhere in the middle, very dangerous and very crazy yet normal in appearance. Rachel Nichols is one of the smartest casting choices in recent slasher history. She is talented, not completely dependent on her carefully-exposed breasts, and she fits the character. She is strong-willed and determined. The two prove to be an intriguing pair, more fun to watch than what we are used to seeing in other such movies. P2 may not be breaking any new ground in the genre, but it covers the already well-traveled land with more style, more talent, and more effectiveness.
I had been anticipating P2 for quite a while, but I missed it in theaters. Quick to snag the DVD, it was a blind-buy for me (something I rarely do). Now, having just watched it, I found most of the hype to be rather warranted...though not completely. P2 is not a redefinition of the horror genre (what we have all come to expect from Aja and his screenwriting partner, Grégory Levasseur)...instead, it fits snuggly within the typical mold of the genre. Everything, from the partially-exposed cleavage to the carefully-articulated sprays of blood, is calculated down to the very second. You have seen this all before. Where P2 succeeds, however, is in its execution. You may know the plot and all of its turns instantly, but P2 delivers it in such a way that is fresh, vibrant, and alive.
P2 is one of the few films that rely solely on the chemistry between the two lead characters, rather than the gratuitous deaths of pointless side characters (though, those are present as well). Much of the film is focused on the tense interaction between Angela and Thomas, two dynamic characters who clash because of their personal differences: he is crazy, and she is not. As she finds herself kidnapped, bound with chains and handcuffs, and emotionally tortured, she perhaps transcends the typical “woman in danger.” We met her as a tougher-than-normal woman, perhaps hardened by years of business life, and she displays this throughout the movie. There is no startling moment where she suddenly gains the superhuman strength necessary to turn the tables; there is just the moment of opportunity, the time where she is finally, by pure chance, able to gain the upper hand. She is a smart girl, not making the dumb mistakes that other big-breasted girls usually do in these kinds of movies.
P2, as I have said, follows a basic slasher film formula, except it throws in a few unexpected spices along the way. Wes Bentley as the deranged sociopath is an original villain, not a hulking mass of brainless muscle with a machete and not a completely blubbering loon who spits and waves his arms around. He is somewhere in the middle, very dangerous and very crazy yet normal in appearance. Rachel Nichols is one of the smartest casting choices in recent slasher history. She is talented, not completely dependent on her carefully-exposed breasts, and she fits the character. She is strong-willed and determined. The two prove to be an intriguing pair, more fun to watch than what we are used to seeing in other such movies. P2 may not be breaking any new ground in the genre, but it covers the already well-traveled land with more style, more talent, and more effectiveness.
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