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The Vow

A saccharine and paint-by-numbers slice of romance, which is largely boosted by the appeal of its two leads.

Star Wars: Episode 1 - The Phantom Menace (3D)

The under-utilised 3D adds little to this prequel, which only serves as a sore reminder of the brilliance of the original films.

Any Questions For Ben?

The talented bunch of actors ably cut through the surface gloss, but it’s tough to remain invested in the plight of the self-absorbed lead.

Shame

It starts off as brutal but arresting stuff, and the two lead performances are scorching, but disappointingly dissolves into a case of tragedy for the sake of tragedy.

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The Disappearance Of Alice Creed (Film)

by Annette Basile | September 07, 2010 11:30 | Edited September 07, 2010 11:39

Largely devoid of suspense and thrills, this film is slightly lifted by Gemma Arterton’s compelling performance.

It begins with two men preparing for what you already know will be the abduction of Alice Creed, the adult daughter of a wealthy man. The kidnappers are chillingly methodical, offering a promising start to this British thriller. But The Disappearance Of Alice Creed soon gets derailed by its own ambitions. Writer/director J Blakeson aims high in his first feature - he wants to put you through a fasten-your-seatbelt psychological ride. Set in a confined space and revolving around only three characters, there's the promise of suspense and the danger of getting stagey. Blakeson avoids the stagey but instead of a snakish plot, we just get slices of information piled on top of each other, as opposed to genuine twists and turns.

 

In an astute physical performance, Gemma Arterton (Prince Of Persia: The Sands Of Time) is compelling as Alice. Gagged and tied to a bed, Arterton conveys the right mix of fear and defiance. She's the best thing here, and is somewhat let down by her co-stars Martin Compston (Sweet Sixteen) as Danny - the younger of the two kidnappers - and Eddie Marsan (Hancock, Happy-Go-Lucky) as the stilted, unpleasant, uninteresting Vic.

 

The mental games that the characters play are underdeveloped, and the look of the film isn't worth leaving home for. A grimy room does not substitute for atmosphere - it's just dingy. This film can't compare to Malcolm Venville's brilliant 44 Inch Chest, another recent British thriller by a neophyte director about a kidnapping, and also set in a confined space. But The Disappearance Of Alice Creed isn't a total time-waster; while hardly gripping and marred by unfortunate moments of unintended humour, it's reasonable enough thanks to an amazing Arterton. You do want to see it through, yet it could have been so much better if a real storyteller had hold of this idea. The potential was there.