The Disappearance of Alice Creed Blu-ray delivers stunning video and great audio in this overall recommended Blu-ray release
Hardened criminal Vic and his younger accomplice Danny kidnap Alice from a suburban street. Gagging her and tying her to a bed in a purposely soundproofed flat, the two men plan to negotiate a large ransom from Alice's millionaire father before fleeing the country. But while Vic seems confident that their plan will succeed, Danny cannot entirely suppress his misgivings. Meanwhile, Alice refuses to play the role of victim, and it quickly becomes evident that she will not give in without a fight.
The girl-in-peril movie just got a little more interesting with The Disappearance of Alice Creed, a taught, windy ride of psychological turmoil;
incessant backstabbing; and enough thick, gut-wrenching tension -- particularly in the opening act -- that even a well-placed slash with a Bowie
knife
couldn't cut
through it. Audiences interested in a movie that deviates from the norm and piles on the suspense and the plot twists will find plenty to like about
Director J Blakeson's debut feature-length film that's an oftentimes exhilarating and occasionally draining picture that weaves in plot twists like
they're
going out of style. Built around three characters and three characters only and taking place primarily in but a single location, The Disappearance
of
Alice Creed defies most traditional Thriller/Kidnapping/Horror conventions and instead paves its own route towards potential cult classic, the film
lacking the
spit-and-polish of a major league Hollywood blockbuster but more than making up for its shortcomings with a unique approach to a tired genre. The
movie could be better -- for as intense as it oftentimes is, it never finds the same kind of horrifically relentless attack on the nerves as does a movie
like
Director
Adam Green's Frozen -- but the various plot developments and strongly-penned
characters make this one of 2009's most pleasant surprises in the Thriller category.
Not exactly Alice's idea of a fun evening.
Two men -- Danny (Martin Compston) and Vic (Eddie Marsan) -- quickly, efficiently, and with motive and smarts pepare a room to hold a high-profile
kidnapping victim. They install soundproofing siding, remove unnecessary furniture, cover the windows with plywood, add deadbolts to the door, and
bolt
down a bed, among other devious and frightening actions. They put their plan in motion, kidnapping the young Alice
Creed (Gemma Arterton) who is tied to the bed, stripped, photographed, and once again clothed in apparel of the kidnappers' choice. The abductors
keep their victim hydrated and fed while instructing her to signal them with a hand gesture should she require use of the bathroom. So begins the
dangerous game of holding Alice for ransom. As the hours tick away, tensions rise, and the kidnappers' plan reaches the point of no return, secrets
and relationships with potentially deadly consequences are revealed and threaten to not only ruin the chance at a ransom but irreparably tear apart
three now very
much interconnected lives.
If The Disappearance of Alice Creed's level of intensity was charted on a graph, with the X-axis representing runtime and the Y-axis
representing the Liebman Gauge of Cinematic Tension (no Z-axis, sorry, the movie isn't in 3D!), the film would open highly near the top of the
scale, fall off a bit after the first third of the movie, and level off to a respectable range in the 65-75-ish area. When a movie starts out this
hot, it's hard to believe it can retain that same level of excellence throughout, no matter the genre and no matter the item being measured on Y
(see The Other Guys as another example). It's only those "best of the
best sorts" -- a movie like No Country For Old Men -- that can maintain or even increase the
tension all the way through to the end and keep it there even on repeat viewings. Creed's drop-off isn't unexpected, then, but the film's
success comes from the fact that its tension level
never completely drops too drastically, falls towards zero, or even worse, slips into negative numbers. Alright, that's enough algebra for today. Just
remember that Y=MX+B, but look for a trigonometry lesson in the upcoming review of Anchor Bay's Dear Mr. Gacy! OK, not really.
The Disappearance of Alice Creed finds its stride through the many plot twists that keep the energy level high and the movie fresh; it
unravels quickly but not all at once, with a new secret revealed every few minutes. Has Alice been kidnaped for rape, for ransom, or for some other
devious deed, one can only wonder as the movie begins. With all the careful attention the kidnappers have paid to every fine detail of their plan,
how can this unfortunate heroine potentially
escape from her captors and make a movie of things? Is there more to the relationships between the kidnappers and the kidnappers and their
hostage than meets the eye?
The only time that the plot isn't unraveling is when it's being wound up tight at film's start, and Director J Blakeson makes sure it springs forth at an
even and exciting pace once it's primed and ready to go. The film moves far beyond Thriller/Kidnapping movie clichés and reveals several incredible
plot dynamics throughout that completely redefine the movie at several junctures; it might not have infinite replay value once the audience knows
all of its secrets, but
The Disappearance of Alice Creed is certainly worth watching twice if only to look for any hints that point towards any of the major
revelations. Additionally, the wonderful plot and script are supported by three fine performances and a highly proficient crew that manages to make
a movie out
of a visually boring primary set that houses the bulk of the action.
The Disappearance of Alice Creed features a 1080p transfer that's reflective of the quality of the typical Starz/Anchor Bay release. Exceptional
detailing and strong colors abound as this transfer captures the finest textures of faces where every pore and all the streaking of Creed's eye makeup is
revealed in every scene. Additionally, the general griminess seen around the main locale and the textures on the soundproofing materials and any of the
other pedestrian furnishings
seen around the structure used by the kidnappers are seen in full throughout, with the 1080p transfer cutting no corners and showing off the sharp and
crisp details of most every in-frame object. Colors are neutral, appearing neither too vibrant nor too dull. The digitally-shot picture gives off a glossy
sheen and appears free of any excess noise or other visual intrusions, save for some unsightly banding that appears in a few shots. The
Disappearance of Alice Creed looks quite good, ranking among the better Blu-ray discs on the market, particularly those transfered from a native
video source.
The Disappearance of Alice Creed features a proficient Dolby TrueHD 5.1 lossless soundtrack. Anchor Bay's track isn't fancy, but neither is the
film's sound design. Outside of a few gunshots, there's very little here of note. Said gunshots don't pack the punch of the more finely-tuned sound
effects found in big action blockbusters, but listeners will certainly note the ear-splitting bang with every pull of the trigger. Music plays with excellent
clarity across the front and with a fair back channel support structure. The surrounds don't enjoy too much activity, though; a few external
atmospherics find their way into the mix later in the movie, but as a general rule, most of the action plays out up front. Dialogue is center-focused and
rarely problematic; one scene in chapter three features Vic chewing out Danny at the dinner table, with Vic's words sounding unnaturally hollow.
Otherwise, this is a skilled and enjoyable track that does all it can with the picture's limited source.
The Disappearance of Alice Creed features a fairly standard assortment of extras. There's nothing here to get excited about, and what's
included is
what's to be expected of a movie of this caliber and popularity.
Audio Commentary: Writer/Director J Blakeson mans the disc's lone commentary track, offering up his thoughts on the film's structure,
shooting in the primary location, little secrets and nuances visible in various shots, the absence of dialogue in the opening 10 minutes, the
importance
of music to the movie, set design, some technical observations, the challenges for a director working on a first feature film, and even pointing out an
homage to Alien. Blakeson's commentary will prove a worthwhile listen for fans of
the
film.
Deleted Scene (480p, 1:43): Phones with optional director commentary.
Extended Scene (480p, 7:42): Alice Gets the Gun with optional director commentary.
The Disappearance of Alice Creed is a well-conceived and smartly executed Thriller that's oftentimes raw, hard to stomach, and packed with
surprising twists and turns that come often and unexpectedly. The picture rarely relents in its level of gut-wrenching tension, though it never
quite reaches the same level of gnawing uncomfortableness that makes up cinema's best. Still, for a relatively low budget picture that's based out of one
primary set and features only three characters, it's hard to find fault with how well it all comes together and how strong it stays through the duration.
It's not so intense that it's unbearable, but combined with the constant revelations that are always redefining the entirety of the plot, The
Disappearance of Alice Creed delivers a potent movie watching experience. Anchor Bay's Blu-ray release of this destined-for-cult-status Thriller
features
a quality technical presentation and a handful of extras. Recommended.
Anchor Bay Home Entertainment has announced The Disappearance of Alice Creed for Blu-ray release on November 23. This British thriller stars the up-and-coming Gemma Arterton as a millionaire's daughter who is kidnapped for ransom, but refuses to play the perfect ...
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