J Blakeson had already cut his teeth writing and directing a series of short films before The Disappearance of Alice Creed, so it’s unsurprising his feature film debut is a slick production with an eye on mood, tension, and nuances to convey the absolute fear a young woman experiences after being snatched from her front door by two strangers.

The film’s first 10 mins. contain one sentence of dialogue, and the montage of the two crooks going shopping and prepping their human cage – undoubtedly inspired by the crime docu-drama In Cold Blood (1967), and the kidnapping/ill-romance The Collector (1965), respectively – conveys the pair’s goal to extract two million pounds sterling from Alice Creed’s wealthy yet estranged father.

Once snatched, Alice spends most of her screen time trussed up and locked away in a dark room, whereas her two captors soon find their perfect plan begins to get complicated by a secret, and the fear of unbridled rage.

Gemma Arterton, frequently seen as love interests (Clash of the Titans) or just a pretty figure (Quantum of Solace) manages to worm her way through the familiar role of a half-naked victim who experiences fleeting moments of empowerment, but aside from explosions of rage and anguish, she has little to do with what’s essentially a tertiary character.

Even the relationship between kidnappers Danny (Martin Compston) and Vic (Eddie Marsan) isn’t all that engaging, but the real character in Blakeson’s script is the rage that may explode from Vic’s tough shell.

Marsan (Sherlock Holmes, and The Rocket Post) slowly reveals Vic to be a complex ex-con with a simple set of goals: escape from humanity with money and companionship for the rest of his life. Vic’s constantly reassessing the hourly status of the kidnapping, and Danny frequently quivers when he senses moments when Vic’s rage may create some carnage.

That fear ultimately governs the choices made by Alice and Danny, but Blakeson’s script fails to offer any fresh twists or resolutions (and those implied by the marketing campaign aren’t really novel).

There are elements of grimy British bleakism, but in terms of a puzzle the audience must solve on their own, Creed is a film designed to show off what its considerable talent can achieve if there was a more inventive story, less obvious twists, and a better budget. It’s extremely well-made and performed – the production design and Marc Canham’s music score are rock-solid - but aside from its rough frankness, Creed is a slight boost above an otherwise straightforward storyline with standard plot points (some of which were spoilt by certain publicity still that indicated whether anyone loved or died).

Blakeson’s other work includes The Descent: Part 2 (2009).

© 2010 Mark R. Hasan