Review of The Disappearance of Alice Creed (2009) by John T — 28 Aug 2010

The Disappearance of Alice Creed is an unusual film that did NOT deserve the D it was given from Entertainment Weekly. I think it is fair to say that critic became bored with the film and was turned off by seeing the beautiful Alice (Gemma Arterton - Strawberry Fields in the latest Bond film, Quantum of Solace, RockNRolla, Pirate Radio) bound and gagged.

I thought there were one-to-many shots of her gagged, but the film was actually somewhat riveting and interesting enough to allow me to get past that. The film has a cast of three characters -- just three -- and it keeps the story tight.

The two men (Martin Compston [A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints, The Damned United, Pimp] and Eddie Marsan [a familiar face as he was Inspector Lestrade in Sherlock Holmes, the Red Riding trilogy, Miami Vice]) abduct the young Alice and seem to have a well-thought plan as to what to do with her.

The trouble is, the men didn't bank on Alice being such a fighter. This could be a standard kidnapping plot picture, but the novelty of three cast members helps keep it interesting. The abductors' plot quickly unravels and everything quickly devolves into a hellish nightmare.

The film is twisted and dark but it knows where it is headed at all times. Arterton does a fine job in the title role and gives a fearless performance (I liked Strawberry Fields ...). They (all) grapple with power and greed ends up running the show (when doesn't it anymore?).

The Disappearance of Alice Creed could easily be overlooked; but I think its a decent crime thriller that deserves a wider release (here is to hoping it gets an audience through Redbox and Netflix).