|
|
Directed by Written by Starring Rated R Presented by 97 minutes |
 |
||
 |
||||
|
P2
REVIEW
With HIGH TENSION, French filmmaker Alexandre Aja became a new horror sensation with his brutal realism and unconventional, if frustrating, story techniques. With his remake of THE HILLS HAVE EYES, Aja made in my opinion one of the rare remakes better than the original, and became accepted by Hollywood as part of its new face of horror. His American debut as a producer, P2, takes the conceptions initialized in HIGH TENSION and uses the parking garage of a corporate building as its backdrop. It was a huge box office disappointment, but on DVD it may breathe new life as while the movie has flaws, it certainly deserves a look. Corporate executive Angela (Rachel Nichols) is the perfect model for the hardworking employee, both in her stunning looks and in her long hours in the office. On Christmas Eve, Angela is the last to leave an office party and enters the title, which is a parking garage level, and finds her car won’t start. She goes to the building security guard, Thomas (Wes Bentley), who offers to start her car. He gives out an awkward proposal for dinner which she politely refuses, but when he can’t start her car, she waits for a cab. The wait is not long as she is knocked out by Thomas and wakes up stripped to a slinky gown and chained to a table. She learns that Thomas has been watching her via the security cameras and has used this night to not only share his true feelings for her, but to give her a Christmas present. For a film that spends almost entirely on two characters, P2 moves at a very good pace, basically taking the final act of a routine slasher film (the blonde heroine being chased by the killer) and engrossing the entire film with this story arc. The film does a good job in getting to the chase very quickly, and it begins not by Angela running around. It begins at the security office where Thomas goads Angela as to why he is doing what he is doing. It’s a nice technique and the characters are very well fleshed out. The only way the film would work is with the casting of the two leads, and both deliver in their roles. Wes Bentley, since AMERICAN BEAUTY, has a knack for playing a creepy villain, and the character of Thomas honestly wasn’t too far off from Ricky Fitts. (Note: Someone has to make a movie featuring Bentley and Ray Liotta as a father-son murderous pair. Now that’ll sell tickets!!!) Rachel Nichols gives a great performance as the imperiled Angela, a challenging role in that she spends about 80% of the movie in handcuffs and the emotional torment that Thomas unhinges on her. They are good foils for each other and both captive and captor are not your usual idiots. You are expected to believe that one of them to do something entirely stupid and at the film’s conclusion you are surprised that everything was well structured. With that, I can sense why some so called horror afficiandos panned the film. The film’s central part, and easily the best moment in the film, is when Thomas gives Angela her present, which is a lustful co-worker who made a move on Angela which Thomas observed, taped to a chair and set up in the middle of the garage, making him easy fodder for Thomas’ wrath. It’s a powerhouse scene, and the result is an extremely gory moment that will satisfy the bloodthirsty fan. There are some other bloody moments, but not as graphic as this scene, and it adds to the horror of the film. The film is directed by Franck Khalfoun (Jimmy in HIGH TENSION) but it feels a lot like an Aja film, which is unfortunate as Khalfoun does an adequate job. Some setups are predictable though, but some aren’t, and it’s pretty much your simplified horror story. Being that HIGH TENSION was full of twists and turns (which mostly didn’t make sense), it was very surprising to see that this film was devoid of any, but that does kind of add to the appeal of the film. In all, P2 is not the turkey its box office says it is, and is worth checking out on DVD once it’s released as an entertaining exercise in terror that is elevated by two good lead performances and sharp editing. It’s unmemorable, but it is a respectable, enjoyable experience. P2: 7 Out Of 10 Maggots
|
|
|||
.jpg)
