“P2” (2007) probably sets a record for most times the movie’s title appears visually on screen. It’s set in a New York City parking garage – mostly on level two – on Christmas Eve. Rachel Nichols’ Angela finally gets off work, finds her car won’t start, finds she can’t get back into the building, finds her phone doesn’t get reception, etc.
Franck Khalfoun directs an exercise in frustration, as penned by himself and two other writers, including Alexandre Aja, who helmed “The Hills Have Eyes” one year prior. Angela’s frustrating but explicable situation gives way to a taut horror-thriller, taking place mostly in the parking garage.
The setting and the star
“P2” has two stars: One is the setting. This is a money-saving version of “Die Hard.” Christmas Eve, leading into Christmas Day, is perhaps the only time on the calendar when a big city can seem depopulated. It’s plausible that the garage and building would be shut down and it’d be hard for Angela to find help. Especially if the building’s night-security man Carl (Philip Akin) goes missing and parking-lot night security man Tom (Wes Bentley) is acting less than trustworthy.
“P2” (2007)
Director: Franck Khalfoun
Writers: Alexandre Aja, Grégory Levasseur (screenplay, story); Franck Khalfoun (screenplay)
Stars: Rachel Nichols, Wes Bentley, Simon Reynolds
Tom’s Christmas-decorated office beckons like an island of safety amid the dark and cold garage. Cinematographer Maxime Alexandre gets good value out of the location – descending to level four is like exploring a new layer of hell – and the score by tomandandy keeps the intensity high. The filmmakers can’t resist putting “Santa Baby” and “Blue Christmas” on the loudspeaker — nor should they resist.
The second star is Nichols. I’m the only one – other than (perhaps) people who worked on it – who remembers how good she was on TV’s “The Inside” (2005). It was “Criminal Minds” if “Criminal Minds” was better. Interestingly, Nichols later worked on the latter show. But she was perfect on “The Inside” because she played a special agent who was (importantly) a crime victim.
Nichols is flat in procedural dialog scenes, but she’s excellent at playing scared and traumatized – which is nearly 100 percent of what “P2” asks of her. Angela is put through a wringer like Ripley in an “Alien” film. Nichols looks sexy and vulnerable in her skimpy white dress. But her ability to sell the scares yet stay grounded makes “P2” better than if another attractive actress was in the role.
It stays close to reality
Bentley plays things down the middle. The screenplay doesn’t develop either of its two leads (the situation is the point), but I found Tom flatter than he could’ve been. Bentley and the material miss opportunities to dig into the question of whether Tom is a straightforward monster or if he has creepily specific psychological issues.
“P2” has three great moments of gore, one thrilling scene in a flooding elevator, and one skin-crawling moment of Angela seeing something on a videotape. The film could’ve done more; it’s not interested in twists or surprises. In horror terms, Angela’s travails aren’t on par with Sally in “The Texas Chain Saw Massacre.”
This is closer to a realistic plot, which is what Khalfoun and his team want. This situation could happen. Only a couple iterations lie between daily frustrations and life-threatening terror, the film tells us. “P2” isn’t quite great, but it might stick in the back of your mind the next time you’re the last employee to go home.