Watch it at Amazon
52 out of 80 people found the following comment useful :- It's OK -- nothing special, 10 November 2007 Author: Jim Erwin from Southern California
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.
49 out of 85 people found the following comment useful :- Make no Mistake it's an Aja film, 9 November 2007 Author: rivertam26 from United States
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.
19 out of 29 people found the following comment useful :- Didn't expect much....got even less......., 15 November 2007 Author: lotus_chief from Brooklyn, NY
*** This comment may contain spoilers ***
I'll admit that the premise of P2, 'horror-thriller' set in a parking garage had me interested. Good way of changing things up a little. I knew what I was going into, so I wasn't expecting very much. What I got out of it was even less.The setting for the film was the only thing intriguing. The acting wasn't very good; the 'psycho' in this is beyond annoying...and a lot of what he says just doesn't make sense. Yes, he's supposed to be crazy but come on! The heroine was decent in her performance, attractive I must say. But the story was just downright silly; the movie could've been done in a half hour. And if that's the case, its obvious that the script needs to be tightened up. This is indeed the case; as I couldn't help but think that the makers were just adding a lot of filler so the film would last at least 90 minutes. The heroine could've gotten out of her predicament a few times (the first time almost immediately as she's FREED from a chain around her leg), but she's too much of a wuss to really do anything about it. There's the obligatory gore here, most of it out of taste. I wasn't disgusted, but more disappointed that they stooped to that level of cartoonish violence. The fingernail scene was just ridiculous, they had to think that would've been "cool" and just threw that in there.P2 is your typical run-of-the-mill horror/thriller that's just not a very good film at all. Don't waste your money on this one.3/10
31 out of 53 people found the following comment useful :- So Surprised How good this was...., 12 March 2008 Author: pomophobe from Canada
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.
24 out of 40 people found the following comment useful :- Better than you would think it should be, 24 December 2007 Author: dbborroughs from Glen Cove, New York
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.
26 out of 45 people found the following comment useful :- A creepy, solid horror flick, 18 November 2007 Author: guyfromjerzee from United States
I admit, I'm usually rough on many horror movies that come out nowadays, because...well...they suck. "P2," on the other hand, has many exciting moments and I was engaged the whole way through. The acting is solid. The actress who plays the lead does a great job at conveying real terror. I also like that she wasn't the typical big-breasted female lead who seems ripped from the pages of Maxim magazine. She is attractive, yes, but not your traditional Hollywood beauty, who's cast simply so she can have a scene where she's taking a shower and has to flee from the villain naked, with her gargantuan boobs bouncing in close-up. I loved Wes Bentley in "American Beauty," and was quite disappointed to find out that he fell off the radar after delivering that great performance as Ricky Fits. He would only pop up occasionally in braindead slasher flicks like "Soul Survivors." In "P2" he was given a chance to redeem himself, and that he did. He is a perfectly creepy villain, especially with those dark, piercing eyes. The movie is not without flaws. It has some of the expected fake scare moments and, without giving anything away, let's just say that I'm SURE it would take less than 20 minutes for the cops to show up after you make a 9-1-1 call. The filmmakers do a great job at setting up a creepy tone, starting off the film by playing "Santa Baby" over the opening credit sequence. That's ten times creepier than, say, playing a standard horror movie score. If you're sick and tired of many of the braindead teen slasher flicks that have been hitting theaters lately, this should come as a refreshing surprise. I think this film is sadly underrated.
17 out of 28 people found the following comment useful :- P2 effective, if unspectacular, 7 December 2007 Author: rparham from Gainesville, Florida
With the resurgence of the horror/thriller genre in recent years, writers and directors have started to utilize a number of locations and situations that have proved unsettling in real life to be the center point for a film. P2 is one of those films. Who among us hasn't felt a little uncomfortable in a empty, dark parking garage, with no one in sight to call out to if there is a problem? P2 proves to be an effective, if not exactly original, thriller that does a good job of keeping the audience on the edge of its seat.Angela (Rachel Nichols) is a workaholic who is trying to get out of the office on Christmas Eve to reach her sister's home, where the family is waiting on her. After having to complete a last-minute task, she finds herself one of the last people to exit the building's parking garage. However, her car won't start, and she seeks help from the garage's nighttime security, Thomas (Wes Bently). Although he appears to initially be helpful, it is quickly obvious that he is a little off. When Angela determines that the building is locked, she returns to the parking garage for help, where Thomas subdues her and then chains her to a chair in his office, dresses her in a revealing outfit, and plans to spend a pleasant Christmas eve dinner with her. Angela quickly realizes that Thomas is determined to prove that he is the perfect man for her, but his methods are on the homicidal and creepy side: he threatens her with his dog, causes her to call her family and tell them she isn't going to make it and threatens her with physical violence. She eventually escapes his immediate grasp, and a chase through the garage ensues that takes a number of different turns.P2 isn't an ambitious film, to be sure. However, it crafts this simple premise into a generally unsettling experience. P2 is largely driven by the performance of Wes Bently in the role of Thomas. Bently is at first glance an amiable guy. He seems awkward and a bit shy, but he eventually reveals himself to be delusional and lacking much in the way of conscience. At the same time, he actually manages to make Thomas a somewhat sympathetic individual, tapping into feelings of loneliness and alienation. Thomas in the end is certainly a deranged individual, but Bently manages to make him more than just that.Rachel Nichols is competent in the role of Angela, providing us with the appropriate reaction of someone trapped in an ever evolving nightmare. Angela wavers between anger, false sympathy for Thomas and fear. It isn't a demanding role, but she delivers as necessary.P2 doesn't pull many punches in the violence department. There are several grisly scenes (including one involving a fingernail) that will put those with a weak constitution on the edge of their seat. Unlike a recent raft of PG-13 horror films, P2 doesn't pretend to not know what some percentage of its audience wants to see.If P2 falls a little bit, it is in the fact that this film is something of a variation on a theme from other recent thrillers, so once it has played most of its cards, you can find yourself generally able to determine where it seems to be heading. There is still plenty of tension, fulfilling its primary mission, but not without traveling some paths that have already been well trodden.
18 out of 30 people found the following comment useful :- P2 Movie Review, 9 November 2007 Author: joel massie (GoneWithTheTwins) from www.GoneWithTheTwins.com
The ambiguously named P2 attempts to do for parking garages what Psycho did for showers, and while Hitchcock certainly didn't direct this one, Franck Khalfoun's debut feature manages to provide plenty of high tension (in part thanks to the involvement of Alexandre Aja, pun intended) and gory scares. Well-paced and chillingly violent, there's nothing like a good Christmas thriller in November.Workaholic Angela Bridges (Rachel Nichols) gets stuck at the office late on Christmas Eve, and her night goes from bad to worse to horrifying when she discovers the awkward parking lot security guard Thomas (Wes Bentley) has taken her hostage in the underground garage with a night of devious torture planned. With no help in sight, Angela must survive his mind games and attempt to escape the labyrinthine prison of parking level P2 (and P3 and P4).Setting itself apart from the countless thrillers sporting faceless and personality-lacking villains, P2 introduces us to an inventively sadistic psychopath with Security Guard Thomas. Played with delusional finesse by Wes Bentley, the maniacal antagonist provides an equal amount of terror and comedy with his off-kilter comments and murderous tendencies. Recalling killers from Norman Bates to Stuntman Mike, the deranged kidnapper never seems aware of just how unbalanced he is and offers heavy irony with his bloodshed. Thomas has a way with insanely honest words, bringing out the contrariness that he doesn't think he's doing anything wrong, and therefore unable to comprehend why his victims retaliate.Rachel Nichols also lends herself to a seldom seen damsel-in-distress, one who falls into several cliché circumstances without getting out in overly predictable ways. She displays a healthy mix of panic and bravery, commendably shying away from turning into the whining mess often witnessed in horror heroines. Intermittently helpless and aggressive, Angela keeps the suspense sincere and also manages to fill her low-cut white dress more than adequately.While some of the events could be construed as predictable, the opening title sequence perfectly illustrates the stupefying violence and apprehension that the rest of the movie is likely to reveal. With serene Christmas music being abruptly halted by the screeching of metal, we are promised no deceptions as to what road the film will traverse. Some of the elements prove to be rather unfathomable for the average protagonist, especially when Nichols is a bit too calm after her initial kidnapping, when she must fight off an enraged dog, and later when she takes the aggressor role with a fire ax - but P2 does handle suspense admirably.Considering the entire film takes place in one building, after everyone has left, the body count is considerably small, but the violence to those few is remarkably gratuitous. To break up the senseless savagery is irony and a sadistic humor, handsomely provided by the spontaneous Thomas. The contrast of his saying grace at dinner, and attempting to convince Angela that he's trying to help, adds to his comically twisted design.With a vastly creepy setting, plenty of "jump" scares and nail-breaking suspense, P2 is crafted to appeal to those who like their thrill rides covered with anxiety and blood. Even with the occasional unlikely event or predictable moment, P2 stays entertaining all the way through, making this a decent fright flick, just as long as you don't think about it too much afterwards.- The Massie Twins
14 out of 23 people found the following comment useful :- Save your ten bucks., 11 November 2007 Author: Brittney from United States
I think we've seen this movie about a million times before. Dainty late-20's female outsmarts her captor.. the only twist this time around is that it's in a PARKING GARGE. That's the creative part. It smells vaguely of Wrong Turn, Black Christmas, etc.There were several scenes in which you wanted to yell out to her to just do the obvious (which would end the movie far too early, of course) and the acting could use some work. Rather than add more to the plot itself, they filled it in with blatantly poised scenes of her cleavage.A few scenes were downright illogical. And to top it off, if you're an animal lover, there is a completely unnecessary scene in which she murders a rottweiler with a tire iron.
13 out of 22 people found the following comment useful :- Below average slasher flick, 11 November 2007 Author: dean2900 from United States
It was quite obvious that people involved with this picture in some way wrote some of the early reviews giving this a 10/10. Anyone who gives this movie above a 6 has some sort of tie with the motion picture.First, let me say it is not terrible. That is the only compliment I can give though.This is nothing more than a woman being locked in a building with a psychopath. You have seen it before and this brings nothing new to the genre.As with movies of this sort, any person met before the main character is abducted by the madman will be killed along the way. Cars don't start, cell phones don't work when you need them to. This one went with the NO SERVICE theme as opposed to the battery dead theme.The woman desperately tries to escape as with all similar movies and when she realizes at the end that their is no escape, she kills the madman and then is able to walk out of the building.The movie is played seriously and has no intentional humor. It is honestly is very ho-hum and if you have seen more than 3 similar movies then you will be bored.Skip this one.
Add another comment
