The Disappearance of Alice Creed

One of the least "stagey" movies I've seen set in one room with 3 actors.

Starts off admirably with an aptly designed opening scene but descends into boredom as the film seems to battle an internal struggle, presenting unexpected yet unnecessary subplots which ruin a perfectly engaging thriller. Whatchagonadoooo...

The Disappearance of Alice Creed is held together by the performances of its three cast members as they play out a middling kidnap thriller. The plot is simple, and often driven by questionable character decisions, but the direction and script are engaging enough. The film ends on a lacklustre note, though possibly the better of the two outcomes at this point.

This movie has the feel of a play with only 3 characters in the entire film. Gemma Arterton, Eddie Marsan and Martin Compston all give very good believable performances in this drama. The story and the interactions between the characters are interesting. The only let down is that the ending is unsatisfying.

Dark, Cheerless,Indie, Dramatic: I was going to say it's a film some people would like and most would not be interested in. Then I saw the ending. No one should be interested in this film; the climax is ridiculous with no characters behaving a sensible or human fashion.

I'm confused. THIS WASN'T A COMEDY AT ALL. By the end I wasn't sure who, besides me, was being tortured and abused.

The movie starts with a strong opening but slowly crumbles apart throughout the remainder of the film. Fair acting, and mildly entertaining story until it starts to fall apart. The idea itself isn't that bad. It would have been nice to see it executed better.

It's a cheap, minimalist "thriller," but it didn't thrill and it didn't entertain. It needed something to happen to keep me interested. The characters talked about doing things, but they rarely got around to accomplishing what they promised. When action did happen, I'll admit that it got me excited. Too bad this only happened a handful of times, and most of the film is a drab and boring watch. I'll give it to the actors for almost elevating it to a watchable level, but I can recommend it.

First of all, the title is entirely inappropriate (Alice Creed's disappearance is so not the focal point of the story). But what really irks me most about the film is its complete lack of focus. Thus, it ends up not making any sense despite being technically well-made.

For a close set story it was pretty well done. The directing was nice as well the mood and editing. They could deepened the story but it worked like that okay. The acting fitted the story for me.

Writer, Director J. Blakeson made a gem of a crime-thriller. The Disappearance of Alice Creed is a fantastic example of what can be done with a tiny cast and a limited budget.

The opening ten minutes are absolutely riveting stuff. From there it can only really go downhill as the tone lurches all over the place in a way that makes every individual successful moment mean half as much to the whole, and the script is a bit weak at points with clunky plot twists and characters acting like idiots to help the story progress (though this is balanced out with a few very nice details and ideas). Still an entertaining romp despite its faults.

#10#, reviews, story, Gemma A.

It was really decent, nothing more. I'm pretty impressed by the acting and I think Gemma Arterton should be in more movies. Eddie Marsan played a bad-ass for the first time so big applause for him.

Quite tense and enough twists that you stay awake. A bit too much nudity for my taste.

Great example of how to make an entertaining/tense film with few actors. Adding twists and turns along with some surprisingly fleshed out antagonists kept it from dragging, and it felt pretty original all things considered.

it would seem they picked alice's mood out of a hat for every scene

A rather minimalistic film with some great acting. Disturbing at times, making it unpleasant to watch as a viewer. All in all, not a bad film, just not really a pleasant watch.

Proves the Godard adage that "All you need for a movie is a girl and a gun." Minimalist (not to mention twisty and turny) as fuck, and evidence that sometimes less is more when it comes to thrillers. It's also probably the least comedic movie I've ever seen in my life with a blooper reel in the DVD special features, whatever that's worth.

The plot twists are a little ridiculous, but it's still a fun, tight movie.

Low-key thriller. Suffers a bit from characters doing stupid things and a really crappy ending, but has enough tension and unexpected twists to mask any serious flaws. Eddie Marsan is perfectly cast, although Compston comes across as a bit bland and Arteton's best acting is done when she has a gag in her mouth and a sack over her head. Other than that, not bad.

With a lot of plot twists as the ones I love. Not that good, though.

Opens with a tense and gripping start, but quickly starts to unravel once the laughably contrived plot twists start to come into play. Worth a watch if you're ever planning a real kidnapping though, as the first 20 minutes are basically a how-to checklist of everything you'll need.

Taut little indie thriller that keeps you guessing, maybe because of the plot twists require something of a leap. Nice camerawork.

Pretty conventional thriller dressed up with conventional performances and some conventionally exploitative scenes culminating in a conventionally forgettable ending.

Pretty dumb movie but you get to see Gemma Arterton nude that's a plus.

"Although it continually complicates its basic narrative setup, J Blakeson's film has enough of the crudely exploitative to make it feel like a decisively unwholesome entertainment." - Andrew Schenker

Interesting enough but nothing surprising about any of the sudden plot developments or little twists.I would also like to complain on behalf of menfolk everywhere - if we are to see Gemma Arterton's tits please let it be when she's not crying her eyes out and covered in snot

Entertainment 4.5/4 Spirit 0.5/2 Sustainability 0/2 Family 0/2

Okay Movie

Suprisingly good for a British flick! Good acting and even tough the story is far from original it was some original twists and turns i liked!

Wants desperately to be tenser and smarter than it is. Ultimately derailed by one of the most moronic "characters" I've witnessed in quite some time. Not a waste of time for genre fans, but it's no keeper.

Decent thriller that possibly over-relies on the "aah, but is it/do they/ will it now?" school of twists. Also, shows the acting chops that Gemma Arterton has.

On first viewing, Alice Creed is one of the most taut, breathless and intense thrillers I've seen. There's that old adage about folk-rock music; all you need for a good, powerful song is "three chords and the truth". This movie is like a spin on that for the world of dramatic film: "three actors and a great script", or something. We only see or hear three characters in this movie, and there's really only two sets, but it's an utterly enthralling watch nonetheless.

Promising intro, leading into a very run-of-the-mill thriller. Hits all the plot points that it is suppose to, and does little to impress. Technically well made, but a boring 100 minutes.