Did you feel the trepidation that came out of watching Hard Candy or the riveting thrill from Hitchcock’s Lifeboat? My assumption is that you did, but besides suspense can you guess what else these two films have in common? They have a small cast that does a superb job of captivating its audience through the use of terrific acting and great storytelling.
Today I’m reviewing The Disappearance of Alice Creed, a low budget movie that not only fulfills the preceding criteria, but does so with only three actors. The film, directed by J Blakeson, stars Gemma Arterton (Clash of the Titans) as Alice Creed, Martin Compston (The Damned United) as Danny, and Eddie Marsan (The Illusionist) as Vic. In this film, simplicity and complexity intertwine effortlessly like vines to create a compelling thriller that’ll have you clutching your fists in suspense while eagerly awaiting the next plot twist (think modern day Hitchcock). The Disappearance of Alice Creed tells the story of two men on a mission to execute the perfect kidnapping. The film opens up with the two men, Danny and Vic, fortifying the apartment, making it soundproof and looking as bare as humanly possible. Next, they flawlessly jump Alice and bring her back to the apartment while they start calling about the ransom. In the blink of an eye, the movie takes us on a spellbinding ride when Alice manages to break free from her captors and we begin to learn the back stories of Alice, Dan, and Vic.
First off, I want you all to watch out for director J Blakeson because he masterfully guides this film with such precision that the plot never really enters into a lull. The story telling was so good that my eyes never darted from the screen; nothing could distract me from this film because if I stopped paying attention I feel like I would have missed out on the details that make this film such a joy to watch.
From the moment the film starts you become deeply immersed in the story since it begins with the calculated preparations for the upcoming kidnapping. It doesn’t start with any BS back story or a deep voiced monologue; instead we cut right to the chase and get our money’s worth once the first frame appears on screen.
Another aspect of the film that I really enjoyed was the simplicity of the entire production. While the story became more complex, the rest of the film kept to its minimalist aspects including cast and location usage. Once we are introduced to the three characters, they end up being the only characters we see throughout the film. Not one extra could be spotted which makes the flick daringly simple and, at that point, it comes to rely entirely on the craftsmanship of the director, the story itself, and most importantly, the acting. The acting was good enough that it didn’t take away from the suspenseful story, but to be honest, I thoroughly enjoyed all three performances. Additionally, if the acting was below par no one would have been able to have any emotional connection to the film which would have resulted in a dreadful flop.
(This paragraph has a SPOILER—SKIP PARAGRAPH IF YOU DON’T WANT TO KNOW THE END) If there was one piece of the film that bothered me a bit it was the ending. While not bad in retrospect, the fact that Danny’s character was able to get away and say “fuck you” to both Alice and Vic made me extremely happy. It was when he died in the getaway that really bothered me because Alice was able to end up winning in the end, taking the money and having both her captors killed in the process. If the movie ended with Danny just driving away, bleeding with a gunshot wound and taking all the money I would have been extremely happy because an ending like that just never happens. Instead the predictable scenario, which became not so predictable about three quarters of the way into the film, played out as one would originally anticipate. While I probably should be sympathizing with Alice, I refuse to because it would be great to see a good bad guy actually win in a movie rather than the victim messing everything up and come away with the spoils while remaining a selfish female dog. I would love to hear your thoughts on this portion of the film. (END OF SPOILER)
Good low budget thrillers are hard to come by, but great low budget thrillers are even harder to find, and The Disappearance in Alice Creed is, in my opinion, one of those rare, hard to find gems. While this film is not an action piece like Taken or Man on Fire, it does create a suspenseful and curious atmosphere that manages to take a well planned kidnapping and turn it into a mind boggling fiasco. With its surface simplicity and deep complexity, The Disappearance of Alice Creed is a suspenseful modern day thriller that Hitchcock himself would be proud of.
Rating: A gripping kidnapping thriller that will choke you with suspense
The film will be released on DVD on November 23, 2010.
Trailer
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