- The Disappearance of Alice Creed
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The Disappearance of Alice Creed 
Theatrical posterDirected by J Blakeson Produced by Adrian Sturges Written by J Blakeson Starring Gemma Arterton
Martin Compston
Eddie MarsanMusic by Marc Canham Studio Isle of Man Film
CinemaNXDistributed by West End Films Release date(s) 12 September 2009 (TIFF)
30 April 2010 (United Kingdom)[1]Running time 100 minutes Country United Kingdom Language English Box office US$811,930 The Disappearance of Alice Creed is a 2009 British thriller film about the kidnapping of a young woman by two ex-convicts. The film is written and directed by J Blakeson and stars Gemma Arterton as the captured Alice Creed, with Martin Compston and Eddie Marsan as Danny and Vic, the kidnappers.[2][3]
Contents
Plot
Vic and Danny kidnap Alice, the daughter of a rich man, for the ransom money. Unknown to Vic, Danny and Alice are in a relationship and Danny plans to keep all the ransom money for Alice and himself. Alice hates her father for cutting her out of her inheritance, therefore Danny assumes that she will be happy with his plan. She must not be informed about the plan, nor about Danny's identity; she has to be genuinely frightened, otherwise Vic would become suspicious.
While Vic is away, and Danny is guarding the imprisoned Alice, she manages to grab his gun, which she fires into the wall. When she points the gun at Danny, he is forced to reveal his identity to her, and explain the plan. She is angry, but agrees to play along, for fear of Vic killing them both. Danny finds the empty shell on the floor and has to swallow it to hide it from Vic. Later, while they're having sex, Alice manages to handcuff Danny to the bed and pick up the gun, which Danny eventually manages to take off her. Vic returns and finds a mobile phone on Alice's person showing that she has managed to call the police. He also finds the bullet in the wall and he forces Alice to tell him about Danny's plan.
Vic is shocked that Danny has deceived him, even more so because the two of them are lovers, observing that Danny could not have faked his arousal. Vic shoots Danny in the forest where the money was supposed to be handed over. Vic then goes to Alice who has been locked up in a warehouse. He tries to give her an injection but the wounded Danny overcomes him and shoots him instead, taking the ransom money and leaving Alice there alone. Before Vic dies he gives keys to Alice who manages to escape. She then finds Danny outside the warehouse, also dead, and drives off with the money.
Cast
- Gemma Arterton as Alice Creed
- Martin Compston as Danny
- Eddie Marsan as Vic
Reception
Review aggregate Rotten Tomatoes reports that 80% of critics have given the film a positive review based on 84 reviews.[4] It has received a number of four star ratings in the UK press.[5][6][7] Peter Bradshaw at The Guardian made the following comment about the much discussed plot twists: "There's twist and counter-twist, cross and double-cross, and with each narrative reveal comes a firework display of Big Acting".[8] It was well received at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). Cameron Bailey, Co-Director of TIFF,[9] praises J Blakeson's directorial style, claiming that "Not since Reservoir Dogs has a hostage standoff been handled with such intelligence".[10] The film was nominated for the Raindance award at the British Independent Film Awards 2009.[11]
Release
The film was screened at the 2009 London Film Festival,[12] the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival,[10] and the Tribeca Film Festival in 2010.
After a well publicised Facebook campaign to choose a Cinema to host the World Premiere of the film, Southampton University Student's Union won the event, which took place on 20 April 2010.[13]
The film was released on DVD in the UK on 4 October 2010.[14]
References
- ^ The Disappearance of Alice Creed Screenrush.co.uk
- ^ The Disappearance of Alice Creed IMDb – The Internet Movie Database
- ^ The Disappearance of Alice Creed The British Films Catalogue
- ^ "The Disappearance of Alice Creed (2009)". Rotten Tomatoes. http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/disappearance_of_alice_creed/. Retrieved November 21, 2010.
- ^ http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/life/reviews/film-reviews/2010/04/30/the-disappearance-of-alice-creed-18-86908-22222802/] Film Review at DailyRecord.co.uk
- ^ http://blogs.mirror.co.uk/movies-mark-adams/2010/04/film-review-the-disappearance.html] Film Review at Mirror.co.uk
- ^ http://www.timeout.com/film/reviews/87608/the-disappearance-of-alice-creed.html] Film Review at TimeOut.com (London)
- ^ Peter Bradshaw (29 April 2010). "The Disappearance of Alice Creed". The Guardian. http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2010/apr/29/the-disappearance-of-alice-creed-review.
- ^ Cameron's Highlights Toronto International Film Festival
- ^ a b The Disappearance of Alice Creed Toronto International Film Festival
- ^ The Disappearance of Alice Creed British Independent Film Awards
- ^ The Disappearance of Alice Creed The Times BFI London Film Festival
- ^ The Disappearance of Alice Creed Official website
- ^ http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B003TS36N8
External links
Categories:- 2009 films
- British films
- English-language films
- 2000s thriller films
- British thriller films
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