Customer Reviews

The Disappearance of Alice Creed [Blu-ray]

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(31)
3 star:		(13)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I had heard a lot of people recommend this to me before I finally saw it, so my expectations were high. After the opening five minutes my expectations were met and the stakes even raised. I really don't want to give anything away here as the less you know about the movie going in the better, but don't go into it thinking it's on par with a "Reservoir Dogs" or a "Saw." It's very, very good and the directing makes it claustrophobic and scary, but by the end of the film it has slipped into more than a few genre cliches that let out a little steam but not TOO much.

All you need to know about the plot is that there are these two men who go through an elaborate series of preparations before kidnapping a young woman, Alice Creed, off the street. One of the most fun things about the movie is how the power shifts from one character to another to another and you're never certain who has the upperhand, who is lying or who will "win" the day. In this way, it is very similar to "Shallow Grave." Eddie Marsan plays the older of the two kidnappers and you've seen him in movies before but never this good. He is very impressive here.

A good one to check out but make sure you have enough time to watch it straight through as the pacing is relentless and you won't be able to turn it off once it begins.

Sometimes the less you know about a movie, the more pleasantly surprising it can be. I, for one, had no fore knowledge of "The Disappearance of Alice Creed" and, consequently, rather limited expectations. So when I sat down with friends and plugged "Disappearance" into the DVD player, I crossed my fingers and hoped for the best. And for once, my pessimism about the movie's prospects were completely unfounded. After an almost wordless set-up, I was already drawn into this tight little chamber piece. Several major twists later and I was delighted to have uncovered a little known gem! With just three characters and a confined and claustrophobic set, "Disappearance" is theatrical (play-like, if you will) in its intimacy. But writer/director J. Blakeson uses this inherent staginess well to create a seamless thriller of lies, deceit, and plans gone wrong.

I will say very little about what transpires in "The Disappearance of Alice Creed." Knowing the film's twists in advance may not ruin the movie's effectiveness--but, trust me, it's best just to let this one unfold. All you get from me is this--two armed and masked men take a young, wealthy woman hostage. Keeping her strapped down and helpless, they await a ransom. But all does not go according to plan, needless to say--but you probably guessed that. That's it--I'll go no further.

Gemma Arterton plays the unwitting victim in this equation while Eddie Marsan and Martin Compston portray the kidnappers. Marsan is intense and Arterton is appealing, but Compston essays the most difficult role as a sort of a go-between. He is terrific, and all three actors pull their weight in this deadly triangle. But perhaps the biggest star of "The Disappearance of Alice Creed" is Blakeson's screenplay. Using standard thriller conventions, but tweaking them with unexpected revelations, this thriller might have lost all credibility. But Blakeson never pushes too far, maintains the suspense, and the casts brings home the show with much gusto. I really had a good time with this film and it is a definite recommendation. BUT DON'T READ THE SPOILERS! KGHarris, 12/10.

This movie is a hostage plan gone wrong in spite of meticulous planning. From the beginning to the end it is exciting and completely unpredictable.

The two ex convicts Vic (Eddie Marsan's character) and Danny (Martin Compston's character) put into action a plan to take hostage a rich family's only daughter Alice (Gemma Arterton's character) for ransom. I can't give anything else because it will ruin the experience, but trust me on this, this is a good thriller. You would think that with just a few actors it will be a boring movie, but this movie is anything but boring.

There may be objectionable material for some viewers (explicit sex scenes).

Thumbs up, highly recommended.

There is not much to add to the generally good reviews for this film. I happened to watch this movie right after watching a very dissapointingly bad film, so I was doubly appreciative of how good this movie was. I only find it unbelievable that 4 people gave this film only two stars! The acting was exceptionable (try to find a more scary kidnapper than Vic!), there was a well thought-out script, good directing; what else do you need in a thriller? The beauty part is that it remains a mystery as to what Danny's real agenda was had not everything happened as it did. We know what he does in the end, but we do not know what he would have done had everything gone according to plan. No Hollywood-style explanation!

There really isn't a whole lot I can tell you about THE DISAPPEARANCE OF ALICE CREED. I happened on to it, started watching it...expected to lose interest...and then kept thinking, "Oh, wow, that's different."

What got me to start watching was Gemma Arterton, a "Bond girl" from the last 007 entry, QUANTUM OF SOLACE. She's gorgeous and very watchable. At the beginning of this film, she's snatched off a street, cuffed, gagged, hooded and dragged into a sound-proof apartment. She's also stripped and redressed.

And just when you think you're going to lose interest..."Wow, that's different."

So I'm not going to discuss anymore about this interesting, twisting little film of only three characters.

Just check it out.

This film opened and disappeared quickly in the DFW area, so I'm certainly glad I caught up to it via Blu ray. A first time director (J Blakeson) puts together a taut thriller using only 3 actors and a minimalist set...not to mention a minimalist plot, albeit filled with twists and turns. Alice, a 20 something lass is the daughter of a rich businessman somewhere in England. She is kidnapped and taken to a well prepared (soundproofing, locks, etc.) apartment to wait for an eventual ransom. Alice is played by Gemma Arterton whose previous credits include eye candy roles in "The Prince of Persia" and "Clash of the Titans". She's something else here. The girl can act as well as look good. In a demeaning, vulnerable role, she is stripped naked, force to pee in a bottle, tied to a bed and ruthlessly gagged with one of those ball-in-the-mouth things that sex dominatrix like to use. It's fun to figure out what's going on because we find out one of the 2 kidnappers has a romantic relationship with Alice as well as his kidnapping partner! Whoops! Spoiler alert! So really, what's going on? Even after we find this out, our questions aren't answered. The film is filled with tension and is certainly an obscure gem of a picture.

Excellent film! "The Disappearance of Alice Creed" successfully mixes compelling characters with an intricate plot. From the title, you may correctly guess it has something to do with a kidnapping, but little else. I recommend you know as little as possible about this movie before you watch it, just as I did. I won't spoil any of it for you, but I can't think of another movie that kept me on the edge of my seat like this one. There are so many great "what will happen next?" moments expertly woven into the plot. Nothing ever felt forced or unrealistic. The characters were believable, interesting, and wonderfully acted. Five stars, no doubt.

We have seen this before. The abduction for ransom gone wrong, but this is still a good watch with its own twists and a strong core cast.

Here's the scoop. Two ex prison mates (lovers) abduct a a rich man's daughter and demand a serious ransom. The scheme is extremely well thought out and everything is going as planned. But due to the weaknesses of men, the plan starts to unravel like last year's sweater and it spells dire consequences for the bad guys.

Some have touted this as a study in psychological manipulation. Though there is some of that present I didn't consider it the core of the film. The abductee is bound and gagged throughout most of it so one doesn't get the same deterioration that has taken place in similar movies such as "Deceiver." Don't get me wrong. She does throw a monkey wrench into the works but there is no great amount of cleverness on her part.

This is a good script that is handled well by the three core actors. Eddie Marsan has a face you can pick out of a crowd and he's something to see here. He makes you nervous pretty much every time he's on screen which is a lot. Martin Compston and Gemma Arterton are no slouches either. All three do a great job in keeping the script moving and believable. There are only a couple of indoor and outdoor sets and the three actors. No fancy this, that or the other thing. It's all writing and acting. The director and others involved in production do a good job in keeping things from getting stale. They also manage to keep things trim at a sweet 96 minutes. I was never bored.

There were a couple of plot elements that strained credulity but they are minor compared to how well this whole thing worked. If you're into the crime-thriller type flicks this is a must see.

Only three characters, no dialogue in the first 5 1/2 minutes, twists, turns. Yes, this is a crime drama of a kidnapping filmed on the Isle of Man. This ends up being, though, more of a character study of the dynamics between prisoner and captors, and between the captors themselves. Great performances by all three characters especially the complex leader of the kidnappers - Eddie Marsan.

This might be a low-budget film but it definitely is not a low talent film. I heartily recommend this to anyone that likes excellent crime/drama films.

NOTE: There is a reason this is rated "R" - nudity, strong language, violence, and sexual situations so be warned this isn't a movie for family movie night.

There are English and Spanish subtitles. I am partially deaf and definitely appreciate Closed Captioning especially on movies where the characters have strong accents, such as this one.

I've seen several ransom/kidnap movies in my time, but this one took some directions that I didn't expect. In fact it took several! Definately one for the library. I'll spare you the repetition of how impressive the film is, everyone on here has displayed that plenty, because overall I agree with them. I don't know what else to say that hasn't already been said. Suffice to say, I thoroughly enjoyed this film, hence the rating. If I'd had bought it first, I would've been no less impressed.