It's Christmas Eve and Angela Bridges is working late. Hurrying to get to her family's holiday party, Angela has no time for her stalled car or the friendly security guard, Thomas. After a failed attempt to start her car, Thomas helps Angela back into the building and invites her to a small Christmas dinner in his office in the parking garage. Angela, in a hurry, kindly laughs it off and continues to find a way to get to her party. She doesn't realize that Thomas has been watching her closely "“ for months "“ and his dinner invitation is not optional. If she wants to see Christmas morning she is going to have to find a way to escape from level P2 of the parking garage.
P2 thrives on its ingenious premises and a haunting performance from Wes Bentley; however, the dialogue, the characters and the "˜scares' are old school and generic and keep the film from being anything more than a stereotypical thriller.
Two things that the film excels in are its story and its acting. Angela is trapped in a parking garage that she has parked in for years, held captive by a former employee and realizing that this all isn't happening by chance. Not to mention her phone not working, a homeless woman outside mocking her and the crazy security guard's "˜attack dog.' To me nothing can be more terrifying. The story is so complex yet so simple, creating a situation that becomes a realistic possibility for most viewers.
In addition, Wes Bentley gives a startling realistic portrayal of Thomas, a man who becomes crazier as the film progresses. Carrying a demeanor from the beginning, Bentley screams "˜creeper,' haunting you from the first scene and not leaving your mind until well after you have exited the theatre. His facial expressions, stances, body movement and interactions come together to form a villain more haunting and believable than all classic horror icons combined. If only Rachel Nichols had been able to match Bentley intensity, the film could have reached a whole new level.
Regrettably the film goes down from there. Stricken with generic, predictable "˜scare tactics,' the audience is forced to watch a creative movie, full of potential become nothing more than a run of the mill, cookie cutter outline. Bentley has numerous "˜been there done that' pop up scenes, and the camera angles tend to play more towards "˜jumpy' moments than creating a complete film that flows from start to finish. Not to mention the usual "˜close calls' where the police show up but barely miss seeing the one thing that would quickly resolve the story, twenty minutes ahead of schedule. Small components like this cause the film to underperform and waste such a unique and clever story.
In the end the film was decent. In fact it was good. Succeeding on Bentley's performance and a unique, intense story the film falls short of its potential, forming into a generic, predictable thriller. However, if you are a fan of this genre, you will enjoy what P2 has to offer.
