http://www.threethousand.com.au/issues/273/What:
The Disappearance Of Alice CreedWhen:
In cinemas from September 9
Watch the trailer:
Here
Win:
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The opening scenes of this microbudget UK thriller are a triumph. Two men - taciturn Vic (Eddie Marsan) and meek Danny (Martin Compston) - wordlessly kit out a van and a dilapidated flat to kidnap and ransom rich girl Alice Creed (Gemma Arterton). Of course their meticulous plans go pear-shaped - and as loyalties shift between the trio, who'll end up with two million pounds... and their lives?
In July, writer/director J Blakeson tweeted indignantly about me calling him a "Brit-brat". He's being touted as the new Danny Boyle, with this his Shallow Grave. Sure, it's clever, but self-consciously so, and it feels theatrical in much the same way 44 Inch Chest did. The always-terrific Marsan is a standout: he excels at playing characters who respond to self-doubt and powerlessness with pitbull ferocity.
But I had misgivings about The Objectification Of Gemma Arterton. She tries hard, and some might call her 'brave' for agreeing to be stripped, gagged and humiliated for both Vic's and Blakeson's cameras (though Blakeson is careful to avoid crotch shots, male and female). But it's a pity Blakeson seems more interested in Alice's flesh than in fleshing out her character.
By Mel Campbell
Format: Cinema
Genre: Thriller
Australian Competitions Club
