Two men kidnap the daughter of a millionaire and hold her to ransom in J Blakeson's crime thriller The Disappearance of Alice Creed.
What a great surprise this turned out to be. I had no expectations going in, as I don't remember having seen any discussion about this film whatsoever, but it was an enjoyable experience.
It takes its simple, yet captivating premise, and delivers a number of interesting narrative developments that keeps things intriguing. Each new twist and turn enhanced the story and gave it added depth.
What's also remarkable is that the film only has three characters, as I can't remember there even being any background extras. You basically have to rely purely on the acting of the leads to keep your audience engaged, and thankfully all of them delivered superbly. In particular Eddie Marsan was the standout for me, giving a terrifically commanding performance as one of the kidnappers Vic. He convincingly comes across as intimidating, and slowly becomes a more complex character as you learn more about him.
It's also nice to see Martin Compston in a lead role, as he played the other kidnapper, Danny. He's an interesting counterpart to Marsan's Vic, and is the most intriguing character due to his ambiguous motivations throughout the situation. Gemma Arterton as Alice Creed is also assured as always, conveying the character's emotional stress very effectively and is also revealed to be more complex as the story goes on.
Due to the engaging writing and fantastic performances you become to be really invested in these characters and how the situation will turn out for them. Shifting power dynamics make it not that easy to guess how it'll end. Whilst the third act isn't quite as good as the brilliant first two it still provides a solid conclusion to the events.
In terms of the filmmaking writer-director Blakeson commands the project with great skill, demonstrating a great eye for economical visuals and sharp editing. As two-thirds of the film takes place in one location, its great how varied the shots are and how the camera is seamlessly used in that space.
In particular his skill his conveyed with a mostly dialogue-free first ten minutes as Vic and Danny prepare for the kidnapping and then execute their plan. It's an exceptionally strong opening, showing how calculated and knowledgeable the men are in going about their objective.
I'm certainly looking forward to Blakeson's next film I Care a Lot, which is meant to be released later this year. It's another film where he has sole writing credit, unlike his previous directorial effort The 5th Wave where he had no involvement in that department, so I have high hopes for how that will turn out.
Final Verdict
With complex writing, developed characters and great acting, J Blakeson's crime thriller stands tall. It's certainly something I would recommend adding to your watchlist.
Comentarios