Franck Khalfoun has made a strong debut. I guess it doesn't hurt to have Alexandre Aja backing you. The pace is kept moving, rarely does a moment drag on. With a running time in the neighborhood of 90 minutes, no time is wasted getting the plot moving and building the two primaries. Khalfoun shows a deft hand at making this claustrophobic location feel claustrophobic as well as expansive, with plenty of room for the two to play out their game of cat and mouse. It will be interesting to see what he has up his sleeve next.
Is P2 perfect? No, not by a long shot. There are some plot hole issues and a bunch of cheap jump scares, but overall this is a highly effective thriller. You could sit there and pick it apart, but I was caught up in the characters to the point that I could overlook the issues. Sometimes I have to wonder if horror fans have become so cynical that they are unable to get wrapped up in the plight of the characters, always eager to find the plot hole or cheesy line. These thoughts are based on the audience reactions at some horror films this year, snickering when the scenes playing are truly suspenseful. Oh well, I guess this is the age we live in.
Bottom line. I like this movie. Nichols and Bentley were excellent, the chills were there, and I was drawn into what was going on. P2 exceeded my expectations and stands as one of the better horror/thrillers of the year. Definitely make the time to give this little film a shot.
Recommended.
Article comments
1 - jessica
If anyone has seen this movie and can take the time to write down just about everything that happened in the movie I would greatly appreciate it