film review: the disappearance of alice creed

The Disappearance of Alice Creed is a British crime thriller written and directed by J Blakeson. The film sees Alice Creed (Gemma Arterton, Clash of the Titans), the estranged daughter of a millionaire being kidnapped and held for ransom by two ex-cons – the cold and authoritative Vic (Eddie Marsan, Me and Orson Welles), and the younger, seemingly more compassionate Danny (Martin Compston). Alice, however, demonstrates that she is not willing to give up without a fight and when she suddenly manages to outwit one of the kidnappers, a chain reaction of narrative twists soon unfold.

While the film is somewhat complex and compelling, it utilises a fairly unoriginal plot structure, resembling a stage play. Blakeson commented that he had set out some personal rules for the production of the film, noting “80% of it would take place in one location and that it would have no more than three characters.  Those rules were a real inspiration, because they forced me to think about how to get the most out of this setup, and ultimately that meant really developing the characters.” (Icon films production notes, 2010: 1)

This is an intense, dark film about power, greed and survival, with a particularly memorable opening – there is no dialogue heard for the first twenty minutes as the audience watches Vic and Danny meticulously set up their apartment in anticipation of their plan to kidnap Alice Creed.