Cheerfully manipulative, "P2" is the kind of movie that invites audiences to yell back at the screen and cheer. And audiences will. They may feel guilty about it five minutes later, but from the first scene, that atavistic jolt is undeniable.

The premise is simple. On Christmas Eve, Angela (Rachel Nichols) is staying late at her Park Avenue law firm. Her sister's family is waiting for her in New Jersey, but as always, Angela has work to finish, and there are other complications. She is the last one out of the building, except for parking lot attendant Thomas (Wes Bentley), who's a bit too friendly and just a little creepy. Her BMW is parked on Level P2.

As the title suggests, the action never moves far from the building and the garage. That limited space works in the film's favor. Writers Alexandre Aja, Gregory Levasseur and Franck Khalfoun, who also directed, crank up the suspense at a slow, steady pace. Given the crazed plotting that's so popular in suspense and horror these days, they don't overly strain credibility, either, and they leaven the often violent action with a touch of dark humor.

Khalfoun trusts the story and employs few, if any, computer-generated effects. Absent, too, are hyperactive editing and product placements. The cast is fine; Bentley's slightly seedy boyish charm is put to good use, and Nichols brings to mind Sigourney Weaver's Ripley. When the going gets bloody, they acquit themselves well.

If in the end "P2" contains few surprises, it's still a nice piece of polished escapism.

-- Mike Mayo (Nov. 9, 2007)

Contains graphic violence and subject matter, and strong language.