The Disappearance of Alice Creed

This is the kind of thing we do well in Britain isn't it? Here is a small budget production with a tight script and interesting premise. Two stern-faced and occasionally-masked men spend the opening scenes of the film methodically and meticulously preparing a house and a room for god knows what purpose. They buy a series of tools, bin bags and plastic sheets, then boost and strip out a van, attach poles and hooks to walls in a warehouse and dig holes in a forest. They do all this without speaking a word, barely acknowledging each other let along the rest of the world. These are two guys up to no good. Then they kidnap a young woman and a plan begins to unfold. A simple plan of kidnap and extortion. Or is it as simple as it seems?

With only three actors in the whole film the microscope is on them and their ability to deliver a performance that carries the story. I remember Eddie Marsan from Vera Drake but had no idea how terrifying he would be able to make his beady eyes, Gemma Arterton seems to be turning into the next Brit to cross the pond and succeed so I guess there was no worry about her being able to express the terror of a woman kidnapped (as well as a number of other emotions - which would give away too much of the plot to discuss in detail). Suffice to say that there are a series of plots swings and twists as the histories and motivations of all three characters are revealed and then tested to the limit. At no point does the claustrophobia and tension of the plot suffer from awkward acting - full marks all round.

It's not just the acting that did it for me. The opening few minutes in which the kidnappers buy all their gear and fit up their lair has much more menace to it than even Eddie Marsan's eyes are capable of generating, it's all about the short disconcerting cuts and odd camera angles. Everything's there and in place to put the viewer off, to unsettle you ever so slightly and make you tense about what's coming next.

As I already said, the film is very claustrophobic. With only 3 actors and very few sets it feels at times as if you're intruding something very private by watching it. That's a feeling that paid off towards the very end when a character looks straight into the camera for about 5 seconds, it's kind of a 'what would you do?' moment and an absolutely brilliant way to finish. This is a film you should watch.