The Disappearance of Alice Creed starts with a slick montage consisting of various shots of two young men preparing a room, van and wooded area for a savage kidnapping. They then pluck a young woman off of the street during daylight hours and shackle her to a bed in a padded room.
When the opening sequence concluded - I assumed I knew exactly where this movie was going. It's from a first-time UK director, it features a cast of lesser-known UK actors and the budget of the entire production was probably equal to the cost of catering a single Michael Bay set. Immediately, I envisioned flashes of toothless Reservoir Dogs-ish banter spoken in barely audible Cockney accents attacking my brain for the next 95 minutes. And what's with the title? It's about an abduction, not a disappearance.
But thankfully, Alice Creed spends far more time being atypical than it does in the realm of regular crime caper. The movie's pace and stellar work from its three-person cast make this little venture an interesting investigation into the nature of relationship, and the struggle for power between the two hoods and the spoiled, rich socialite should keep the audience engaged throughout. Kidnappers Danny (Martin Compston) and Vic (Eddie Marsan) spend most of the first act setting up the playbook for the remainder of the film. And victim Creed (Gemma Arterton) injects palpable fire and sexuality into the latter half of the story.
Peppered throughout the plot are a series of twists that promise to give the viewer plenty of WTF moments. Whether or not you choose to bite down and swallow the increasing poundage of these whoppers will no doubt affect your overall enjoyment of the film. But I came out impressed with Writer/Director J. Blakeson's first feature effort (which is gaining him praise and comparisons to Danny Boyle) and will definitely keep an eye out for his future endeavours.
The Disappearance of Alice Creed plays tonight at The Plaza Theatre (1133 Kensington Rd. NW) at 7:00pm as part of the Calgary Underground Film Festival.
View the trailer here.
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