P2 (DVD)

Introduction

Working late on Christmas Eve, Angela (Rachel Nichols) is the last to leave and gets to her car ready to go to her sisters in New Jersey for a party with her family. When her vehicle won't start, she enlists the help of security guard Thomas (Wes Bentley) who unsuccessfully tries to help her. After declining his offer to have a meal with him, she calls a cab and contacts her sister to explain the situation.

Finding herself locked in, she returns to parking level 2 to give her car another try but is drugged by Thomas who dresses her in a white halter neck dress, does her makeup and chains her leg to the table so they can have a Christmas meal together. It transpires that Thomas has been using his CCTV to take an unhealthy interest in Angela and is completely infatuated with her.

Written by Alexandre Aja, Grégory Levasseur and Franck Khalfoun (who also directed), this is Aja and Levasseur's latest project after the success of Haute Tension (Switchblade Romance) and the remake of The Hills Have Eyes, and the first horror they have written but not directed.

Video

Due to the quick turnaround between its theatrical release and appearance on DVD (and Blu-ray), the picture is incredibly sharp and there is no lack of definition even in the darkest scenes in the parking lot. I imagine the Blu-ray will be superior with deeper blacks and more detail but, for a DVD, this is very good.

Audio

The Dolby Digital 5.1 really delivers the jumps and tension with the surrounds given a good workout, especially when Thomas begins to flood the lift and it sounds like water is pouring down your walls!

Extra Features

A case of quantity over quality here with each featurette lasting only a few minutes and not going into much detail regarding the film, each consisting of interviews with the cast and principle crew (Aja, Levasseur, Khalfoun, Bentley and Nichols). They are separated into 3 featurettes which really could and should have been joined together - it's a typical EPK package rounded off by the theatrical trailer. The commentary is alright but nothing special, delivered by the three writers - the addition of a cast member would have livened it up and given another point of view - I can't say I gave it my upmost attention as it just wasn't interesting enough.

Conclusion

P2 begins very well with Bentley providing an extremely creepy character - he's obsessed but seemingly caring - but throughout the film he changes from infatuated security guard and wannabe lover to typical movie psycho, setting his dog on Angela and yelling "Are you trying to get me fired?" at her when she tries to alert the authorities.

The ending is unsatisfactory when, in the traditions of the 'final girl', Angela survives and is all ready to walk away until he calls her 'the worst word in the English language' - after everything she had been through, THAT was what she didn't like?! I'd love to know what the police would say when she tries to use foul language as a justification for homicide.

Nevertheless, Franck Khalfoun shows himself to be a competent director but I hope that Aja and Levasseur's next collaboration is better than this. P2 is worth a watch but nothing more.