FFF Review: THE DISAPPEARANCE OF ALICE CREED

There is an unwritten rule for young filmmakers that is as logical as it is dull: if you shoot your first film, see that it is cheap. In fact, see that it is so cheap that it costs almost nothing.

Of course, in a time in which Christopher Nolan proves that 160.000.000$ are a worthy investment and in which Gaspar Noé takes some four years to shoot a film, this clause becomes all the more a painful obstacle for artists to re-create their vision. Trust me - coming up with a story including less than five actors in less than five locations is hard. Very hard.

So all I can do is applaud J Blakeson. He hasn't only managed to keep the budget down to a minimum, he also directed a well paced, stylish, engaging and - most important of all - suspenseful crime thriller, starring the absolutely stunning Gemma Arterton.

The film opens with the title-giving disappearance taking place. Alice Creed, a young woman with a rich father, is kidnapped by two crooks. They cuff her to a bed, rip off her clothes and shout at her. Now, telling you anything else is a spoiler, hence I leave it at that and rather concentrate on what is more important than the story: the actors.

Martin Compston and Eddie Marsan are absolutely great as the clever, yet clueless and clumsy kidnappers. As the story unfolds, we both feel resentment and sympathy with those two, as the situation really seems a bit much for them. But the film wouldn't be the film, and I wouldn't be me, if the biggest advantage wouldn't have been a lot more interesting and captivating than those two - and that is Gemma Arterton.

Arterton manages something truly unique here. We don't know anything about Alice Creed as we see her the first few times, and the british actress manages not only when it comes to conveying her terror and fear. She's one to fight back, to look for a way out, an advantage to get free. So Arterton does everything to convince both the kidnappers - and the audience - of what she is capable of. At one point helpless victim, in the next a tough negotiator and after that a raging fury, Alice Creed doesn't just give the title to the film but also its heart. Seeing as many actresses might have failed the part, one can only applaud Arterton for this achievement to act both convincingly and arrestingly well, turning the film into a one-girl-show.

THE DISAPPEARANCE OF ALICE CREED is not a perfect film though - which doesn't mean the film does have flaws. However, it is limited in space and money, and isn't creating the next DIE HARD as it is creating the next SLEUTH. But for what it is - a crime thriller set in an apartment with only three actors, one of it a naked woman (most of the time), the film is a stunning and suspenseful examination of three characters under pressure. You won't find many thrillers this year that thrilling.

Rating - 8/10