The Disappearance of Alice Creed

Introduction

Two men go shopping. In an airport carpark for a suitable van to steal. Then to B&Q for a tolley full of hardware and tools. Finally they buy a double bed. They both then spend several days meitculously soundproofing a room in an old disused flat and covering the windows. Both are ex-cons. Vic (Eddie Marsan) is a hard bastard with a vicious streak when required. Danny (Martin Compston) is weak willed and will do whatever Vic tells him to do.

And what they do is snatch a young girl off the street and take her back to the flat. Working quickly, they secure her to the bed with handcuffs and rope, cut off all her clothing and then roughly dress her in a tracksuit. The girl is Alice Creed (Gemma Arterton) and she has been kidnapped for a £2 million ransom, her father being very rich indeed.

Vic has a well thought out and professional plan, but is it enough?

Picture

Despite the fact that the majority of this film takes place in two rooms, the film has a rather cinematic feel to it. DP Philipp Blaubach really makes use of the tight space effectively so that whilst the viewer feels relatively claustrophobic, there is also the space for the action to unfold.

Extras

Making Of - slightly more interesting EPK than usual in that the main focus appears to be on writer and first-time director J Blakeson.

Selected Storyboards - comparison of the opening sequence and the first major scene against the associated storyboards. Can't remember the last time I saw one of these types of features, seems a little passe now, but for budding cinematographers I would guess they're a major highlight.

Extended scene with commentary - J Blakeson takes us through that first really dramatic scene involving Compston and Arterton again, admitting from the writer's perspective that prior to cutting it was just too long and had far too much dialogue. Interesting again to see that the conflicts between the director's and writer's roles, even when they are the same person.

UK & US trailers - very different takes on the film shown here, quite interesting to see how the same film has a completely different focus for the
two countries.

Overall

This is a very smart albeit contained thriller and a superb directorial debut from J Blakeson. The opening sequence is shown without any real dialogue at all, everything communicated is unspoken via body language or gestures, hinting at a very professional duo who are about to undertake something quite serious. From there on though, there's plenty of dialogue to get your teeth into and plenty of twists within the story to keep it interesting and ratchet up the tension.

The ensemble cast, only three of them, are superb. Marsan is without doubt the most accomplished actor here and it shows with his performance as the hard nosed Vic only letting up to give in to more tender emotions at a crucial moment in the film. Compston is easily the least accomplished of the trio but really has the lead role, something you don't quite see at the beginning but becomes more obvious as events unfold. His character is a bit of a blagger, attempting to twist people to his point of view as he sees fit. Arterton is now probably the most famous of the trio, this turn coming after Quantum of Solace but prior to Prince of Persia, but whilst she may now be more high-profile window dressing, she more than proves that she can act here, getting down and dirty whilst also not being afraid of the brief but blatant nudity required.

It's impossible to choose which of the actors is the better here, all three put in superb performances.  I've seen similar low budget films before, some can be quite good whilst others are easier forgotten. The Disappearance of Alice Creed, however, is a step or two above those films and deserves a wider audience. J Blakeson is a name to remember, I suspect we may be seeing more of his work in the near future...

Recommended.