P2

By Linda Winsh-Bolard

It’s Christmas Eve in Manhattan and Angela is working late despite the fact that her family is waiting for her to join them for the evening meal in New Jersey.
Before she gets the chance to leave, her coworker comes in to apologize to her for unwanted advances, she spurred him, caused by too much alcohol consumed at the company’s Christmas party and a difficult year he’s had at home. He is forgiven.

Angela wraps up her work and takes the elevator down to the lobby with the lobby guard. She then takes another elevator alone before she walks to her car parked at level 2, hence P2. Her car won’t start, and frustrated by all the delays, Angela asks the security guard at the parking lot to let her back to the lobby to call for a cab. He is helpful, indeed so helpful and so ingratiating that he makes Angela uncomfortable and she glad to escape his attentions.
The lobby is empty, Carl, the guard, is missing, but Angela manages to call for a cab anyway. Only when the cab arrives, Angela realizes that she is locked in the building with no way out.

The garage gate is locked as well and as she becomes increasingly scared she loses consciousness.

When she comes to, she is in the security’s guard booth, stripped down to her shift (very nice shift if thin and bosom revealing) her ankle chained to the chair.

Before Angela can fully comprehend what is happening, the situation becomes utterly bizarre, with Tom, the security guard, pretending Angela is just a willing, welcomed guest whom he is helping and protecting her from other predatory males. He offers wine, food, music, yet she is chained up and his vicious looking dog is guarding her every movement.

Attempts to negotiate fall through, the reality is made clear when Tom makes Angela to call her family with an excuse explaining her absence at the dinner, to make sure they will not be looking for her. While she is calling his hands slowly circle her neck leaving no doubt what the consequences would be, should she give him a reason to think she’s put him in danger.

Angela tries to escape before Tom takes her for a “ride” that reveals what is he capable of. She tries to call the police (nice touch when she is put on hold), she fights Tom with all she has, and this is no whining helpless damsel. She does try to do most of the things she might do, but a lot of it does not work for her. It is the Christmas Eve in an empty building…and the building is locked.

The film follows classic horror line with an obsessed male abducting his dream lady. It differs from many, if not all such movies, and this is a nice touch, in the treatment of the lady's behavior who gives nearly as well as she receives.

Unfortunately, she does all of it in tight shift with spilling breasts, long, blond, well holding hair and most of it, in high heels. Thomas, while insane, at least offers an explanation for his obsession: he does not want to be alone any longer. He wants to be friends.

It uses the idea that today’s technology can work against us: if you are locked in a highly secured building, you are truly locked in. The spy ware, the protective systems, the policing might all work against you, and people nowadays tend not to help out. It also nudges at the idea that the total obliviousness of the well to do for the existence of those who serve them might not pay off.
There is certain logic to all that pursuit, the chases, escapes, cameras and means of capture as well as evading of the enemy.

There are some, not many, but some, nice shots, most notably the shot of empty New York street snowed in at the end of it all.

It is adequately acted for what it is, holds few surprises, and ends, as you’d expect. It is relatively fast paced and the predictable as well as the stupid does not rise high enough to truly annoy.

All in all, it is what you’d expect.

A Summit Entertainment release and presentation of an Aja/Levasseur production. Produced by Alexandre Aja, Gregory Levasseur, Patrick Wachsberger, Erik Feig. Executive producers, Bob Hayward, David Garrett, Alix Taylor. Co-producers, Daniel Jason Heffner, Greg Copeland, Jean Song. Directed by Franck Khalfoun. Screenplay, Khalfoun, Alexandre Aja, Gregory Levasseur.

Thomas - Wes Bentley
Angela - Rachel Nichols