Film Review: The Disappearance of Alice Creed

The Disappearance of Alice Creed. MA15+. 96 minutes. Written and Directed by J Blakeson.

Sometimes, reviewers need to display a little show of complete subjectivity, and in the case of this arch, restless little British psychological thriller, it is to declare that I am a little tired of seeing movies where women get beaten up. Actually, I’m really sick of it. The main reason I’m sick of it is because I’ve suddenly found myself in an extremely unorthodox position of having to tell you all about a film where, yes, the ‘Alice Creed’ of the title, gets kidnapped, bound and gagged, nearly suffocated and eventually handcuffed to an old oil heater in an abandoned warehouse where she is left for dead. Great!

Actually, it’s not great. The best thing about it is the performances from the only three actors in the film: Martin Compston as ‘Danny’ and Eddie Marsan as ‘Vic’, the kidnappers, and Gemma Arterton (unrecognisable from her glamour turns in Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time and Clash of the Titans) as Alice. Whether this has something to do with the fact that Ms Arterton gets the unenviable task of spending the better part of the movie handcuffed to a bed with a bag over her head might, however, be cause for serious conjecture. The characterisations of these three, morally dubious individuals are, however, incredibly strong – and it is this that manages to keep our attention. Curiously though, the end result is more like some kind of over-produced peep show at which we, rather reluctantly, perve – as opposed to have any deep and meaningful connection with or investment in. I walked out of the cinema feeling more than a little bit grimy, which can never be a good thing.

Philipp Blaubach’s grainy, rough and ready cinematography and Marc Canham’s original score are great, while Mark Eckersley’s editing keeps it all moving along swiftly – ensuring that even though there are only three actors and one primary location, it never appears as though we’re in the same place for too long. Blakeson’s script, which twists and turns like the captive Alice, wears out its welcome towards the end when the pacing slumps and, even in spite of the filmmakers’ best intentions, it all starts to seem faintly predictable.

Ultimately, however, it’s got nothing on the benchmark of this genre – Extremities – which starred the late, great Farrah Fawcett in a career-defining performance as the woman who turns the tables on her assailant. Lacking any real sense of dread or fear – The Disappearance of Alice Creed ends up being a little bit too clever for its own good. Approach with extreme caution.