The Disappearance of Alice Creed

Two British men kidnap the daughter of a rich man and hold her prisoner while negotiating a ransom. It's tightly constructed and the suspense builds amid the changing dynamics of the relationship among the three characters. What keeps it from being a good film, however, is the stupidity of the characters, particularly Alice, the victim, who squanders opportunities to escape because of her idiotic actions. Of course, in these kinds of films, such behavior is used primarily to propel the plot, otherwise the story would end too quickly. Still, it's an impressive feature film debut for writer-director Blakeson and is worth a look.

This film to me personally was a little bit of a surprise to say the least, I was recommended the film by a friend, who said to me its worth watching, and as a film critic, I put aside some time to give it a viewing.

I was not disappointed either, with the film starting out somewhat a little confusing, and uncomfortable at first, it soon dawns upon you that this is no ordinary kidnapping. I won't release any spoilers here, but will advise you to watch the film with an open mind, and frame of mind as there are some surprises that even I didn't see coming.

The plot thickens, and the film has you guessing along the way which to me is what film making is all about. Watch it, and enjoy, I'm sure you will know the actor who plays Vic, he is an underestimated actor, who shines in this film.!

"Tell him that he must pay the money, that he must do exactly as we ask or we will kill you. You tell him that you have no doubt that we will kill you."

The Disappearance of Alice Creed is a brutal little thriller about a woman who gets kidnapped by two men, who plan to use her to ransom £2 million from her wealthy father. The kidnapping itself goes flawlessly, and once she's securely locked up, there seems to be little that can go wrong to keep the men from getting the money. But, that wouldn't make for a very interesting movie, would it? Things go wrong, and the best-made plan can still end up being a disaster. 

I was somewhat expecting The Disappearance of Alice Creed to be your standard kidnap and escape kind of movie, but I have to give it credit for throwing enough wrinkles in to make itself somewhat unique. The relationships between the two kidnappers and the title character end up being more complex than they initially seemed, and cracks of distrust turn the initially well-executed plan into a situation that perhaps no one will survive.  

There's a strong current of tension that starts with the dialogue-free beginning and continues all the way to the very end. That's pretty impressive, in my opinion, and I hasn't seen many movies lately that keep things that taut for the entire time. In addition to the story, the acting was solid, as well. When a movie really only involves three actors (Gemma Arterton, Martin Compston, and Eddie Marsan), one weak link could ruin it. Thankfully, that's not the case, here.  

Still, I'm not the greatest fan in the world of these kinds of movies, so even a good one like this (and it is good) has a hard time blowing me away. If you're a genre fan, though, I think you'll be pleased.

This film has to go into my all time top ten which is mighty praise indeed. When you consider there are simply two actors and one actress it is astonishing how this film unveils and has you riveted from the opening sequence to it's conclusion. The characters are believable and I am surprised it hasn't received higher praise. the problem is it probably never got the hype other films less well made receive. Which to an extent is a good thing, because the less you know about the film, the more surprised you will be by it. Great twists and turns and great acting - The basic premise is two guys who met in prison, organise a kidnap of a rich girl and then they carry out the kidnap with alarming precision and professionalism, that the opening 9 minutes has you transfixed. What happens next is pure acting that can make a film great or a film mediocre, in this case GREAT

The title is something that confused me, as we spend the whole time with the titular character, yet at the end of it, comprehension dawns.

Acting: Arterton actually surprised me as in Quantum of Solace, Prince of Persia and Clash of the Titans she was uneven and had this contrived, grating posh accent but here, she speaks in her normal accent and is far more consistent in emoting. Goes to show, you can't write of every actor, even after a couple of so-so performances.

As improved as she is, the other two, Marsan and Compston (particularly the former) overshadow her somewhat. Marsan is a cunning and calculating crook and Compston is his naive accomplice. Marsan is particularly menacing and Compston develops his character pretty well. There's a plot twist involving all three that I personally didn't anticipate in that way.

Plot and Pacing: From the unnerving opening without much dialogue to the gripping conclusion, this, to me, wasn't completely predictable. Budget constraints meant the cast remained a trio, but I would've liked to have seen other important characters mentioned.

Cinematography: Conveys a true sense of sickening planning in Alice's kidnapping, humiliation at the hands of the pair, deception, fear - all pretty much what I'd expect from a thriller of this sort.

Score: What little there was there was good and I loved the Radiohead-sounding song with Bjork-esquire vocals Holy Moly by Cathy Davey, as it's suitably mellow for the end of the film.

Overall: This has been called a glorified stage play by some people, but to me, it felt like a film with nuances concerning characters and much like Hard Candy(comparison as it's also indie and had a small cast) was a really taut thriller that had me glued to the screen all the way through.

This is proof that British Cinema is still alive and well and that every now and again, a little gem will come out. A film with flawed characters with a theme of the selfish desires they share.