Review: The Disappearance of Alice Creed DVD

STUDIO: Anchor Bay | DIRECTOR: J. Blakeson | CAST: Gemma Arterton, Eddie Marsan, Martin Compston
RELEASE DATE: 11/23/2010 | PRICE: DVD $29.97, Blu-ray $34.98
BONUSES: commentary, deleted scene, extended scene, outtakes, storyboard comparison
SPECS: R | 96 min. | thriller | aspect ratio | audio | ?? subtitles

RATINGS (out of 5 dishes): Movie | Audio | Video | Overall

First-time movie director J. Blakeson has come out with a bang with The Disappearance of Alice Creed, crafting an absorbing thriller that will keep audiences guessing until the credits and talking about the film long after the DVD is back in its box.

The premise is simple: A woman (Gemma Arterton of Clash of the Titans), the daughter of a rich man, is kidnapped by two men (Eddie Marsan of Sherlock Holmes and Martin Compston of Sweet Sixteen) for money. It’s a story we’ve seen plenty of times, but in Blakeson’s hands, it’s given an injection of adrenaline.

Blakeson, whose known for writing the script for The Descent 2 and wrote the screenplay for Alice Creed, limits his movie to only these three characters, and most of the film takes place in the apartment where the kidnappers keep their captive. We don’t see the negotiations, and we don’t see the pay-off. We don’t even see the kidnapping. For the first five minutes of the movie, we see the men wordlessly turn an abandoned apartment into a fortress, then drag in their prey kicking and screaming.

The limited point of view builds tension, because, like the characters, we don’t know everything that’s going on. And Blakeson provides some nice twists and turns to keep us and the characters guessing.

Out of the all-British cast, Compston won’t be familiar to most in the U.S. audience, but Arterton has starred in a number of recent blockbusters, including Disney’s Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, and Marsan will be a recognizable face from Hancock, V for Vendetta and The Illusionist. All provide great performances in Alice Creed.

Blakeson talks about the making of his film in his interesting commentary on the DVD. The disc also includes a deleted scene and extended scene, which don’t add much to the movie, a fun collection of outtakes that gives fans a look at the real Gemma Arterton and storyboard-to-film comparisons for a number of scenes including the interesting opening.

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