P2 suffers from a lack of any real threat as a cat-and-mouse game ensues after a businesswoman is trapped in a parking garage on Christmas Eve.. Our damsel in distress, Angela Bridges runs around a parking garage trying to find an exit. The problem is that her aggressor isn’t threatening enough. When he’s got her to himself, he treats her like a prized possession. Thomas treats her like a lady and is willing to go to extremes in protecting her. This means that Angela will probably be safe as long as she doesn’t piss him off or fall down an elevator shaft in trying to escape. To make matters worse, Wes Bentley, that weirdo from American Beauty doesn’t command the respect of a psychopath. He’s got a darkness about him, but he isn’t strong or sexually perverted enough to be a threat. At best, he comes across as a voyeur and possibly a stalker.
The “psychopath” is introduced too soon, and there’s no build up for the silhouette. This subdues the whole thrill of the ride and dampens the scares. P2 also assures one of the victim’s safety until a recurring scene. The opening scene is used as a pull with our heroine escaping a car boot. We are later introduced to the same car, and it belongs to her. This ruins everything up to that point since there’s no threat of death, which ascribes a shallow invincibility to the heroine.
The casting choices are questionable and it seems that cleavage is looking for a supporting Oscar. Rachel Nichols went through 14 different white dresses in the filming of P2. Her breasts accompany her on this death-defying Christmas Eve and make promises that never materialise. This device keeps most of the male contingent on their seats in the hope of seeing one slip, or a full reveal. It’s a cheap trick that doesn’t do more than titilise the audience.
P2 does have some decent thriller scenarios, but starts off very sluggishly. The interplay between the hunter and the hunted is almost comical at times and even the sideorder of gore doesn’t seem to make things right. P2 is shot like your average thriller flick, but the reality factor of Wolf Creek would’ve had more bite. The movie goes through the paces as it brings all the typical thriller conventions together. The no signal cellphone, the false alarm cops, the deadpan phone call and the security cameras. The movie is fairly predictable and the performances are mediocre.
It would have been better if it’d borrowed a few pages from Vacancy, and cast a stronger male lead. There are one or two redeeming moments with Thomas playing some Elvis, and creepy Christmas jingles in the dark. However, these pearls lose their value in the overall context of P2. You may be reminded of the movie when you notice a P2 sign or see cleavage, but those memories won’t make you want to see it again.
The bottom line: Flawed.
