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Youth In Revolt
While ocasionally a little too clever for its own good, this witty and ambitious comedy comes out on top.
Visioneers
A peculiarly compelling little film which admirably demonstrates restraint and well-paced comedic timing.
Beneath Hill 60
Devoid of overblown heroism and boosted by fine performances, this is a powerfully affecting war tale.
A Prophet
This sprawling ultra-realistic prison drama is a near-masterpiece and further complemented by a clutch of impressive special features.
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Clubink Movie Of The Month
Disappearance Of Alice Creed
"I wanted to write a very contained film. I was actually watching Ron Howard's Ransom, and in between all of the phone calls to the police and the wire taps and the chases, there's one scene where you see a member of the gang caring for the kidnap victim, which got me thinking about the kind of relationship that could form in such intense situation. I started writing, and that was the beginning of it. Ultimately I wanted to create a kidnap movie in which you see nothing of the kidnap itself, or any of the standard things that you'd see in this kind of film." J Blakeson, director.
The kidnappers are Danny (Martin Compston) and Vic (eddie Marsan), two cons planning to make a mint. Their hostage is Alice Creed (Gemma Arterton), the daughter of a rich businessman, chosen by Vic and Danny as their passport to a better life. Terrified and immobile at first, it soon becomes clear that Alice isn't about to let her captors use her as capital without a fight. As determined to escape as Vic and Danny are to succeed, Alice enters into a battle of wills which strains the fractious relationship between the two men. As the deadline for the exchange draws nearer, all three are brought close to breaking point, with Vic and Danny's foolproof plan descending into a desperate struggle for survival. A taut, emotionally intense thriller, the debut feature from writer-director J Blakeson eschews genre convention, generating tension from the sexual and psychological ties that bind captive to captor. Produced by Adrian Sturges (The Escapist), the film boasts a rich sense of mood and superb performances by Gemma Arterton (Qantam of Solace, Clash Of The Titans, Prince of Persia), Eddie Marsan (Happy-Go-Lucky, Sherlock Holmes) and Martin Compston (Sweet Sixteen, Red Road).
R, September 9