Review of The Disappearance of Alice Creed (2009) by Chris M — 15 Jan 2011

Intimate indie. Immediately, without any messing around, we witness the kidnapping of Alice Creed (Gemma Arterton) by two males. They bind her to a bed, blindfolded and gagged, and we piece together character motivation and why we are in this tense situation.

The film starts off with a really well executed and efficient opening scene that lasts over nine minutes, but only contains one word of spoken, comprehensible dialogue. An unorthodox lead-in, sure, but it is one that just grabs you and floors you.

For a movie that is completely a three-man show and takes place almost entirely in a single apartment, they do a great job of holding your attention, keeping the tension up and creating a number of twists and turns, most of which you will not see coming.

It's a movie that never flinches, and Gemma Arterton does a really good job in a tough, extremely unflattering role. If I were trying to find something that could have been improved upon in the film, it would be that the twists and turns sometimes feel like speed bumps before ramping the tension back up again.

A small gripe, because it does keep your full attention throughout. This is a nice find of the movie that you will be very satisfied you discovered and took the time to watch.