The Disappearance of Alice Creed

A thriller set in England. Two men prepare a flat. They board the windows, line the walls with soundproofing, and fit handcuffs to a bed. That section has no dialogue. The narrative shows only preparation for about ten minutes. Then they bring a woman in. Alice is the daughter of a rich man. A ransom is demanded. Vic made the plan. He has been in prison, is methodical, and has calculated every step. Danny is his younger partner. Softer, and hesitant. From there the film takes place almost entirely in that flat. Three people, two rooms. Then the first break comes. Danny and Alice know each other. The second break is larger. There is an unspoken relationship between Vic and Danny too. The narrative delivers these two facts one after the other and destroys the balance it began with. From there who is using whom keeps changing. All three have a plan and all three are lying to the others. What the narrative is interested in is not abduction but power: its idea is that the person in handcuffs has a card as well, and that who holds the power shifts from scene to scene. Alice does not stay passive. She makes a move at the first opportunity and the narrative gives her a real will. The structure is very tight. Three actors, one location, and a little over ninety minutes. The violence is sudden and sparse. The narrative builds tension out of threat. This is J Blakeson's first feature and he wrote it himself. Gemma Arterton, Martin Compston and Eddie Marsan are in the cast. Who it is for: anyone who likes closed-room thrillers and small-cast structures. Who it is not for: anyone looking for realism; the reversals pile up in the last half hour and some of them come out too neat.