The Disappearance of Alice Creed

As thrillers go, this first feature from U.K. writer-director J Blakeson is a wonderful, suspense-filled effort...up to a point. The set-up is devastatingly simple: two ex-cons, Danny (Martin Compston) and Vic (Eddie Marsan), fix up an apartment, turning it into a soundproof cell with plans for kidnapping the title character (Gemma Arterton) and holding her for ransom. Creed's father is rich and will pay well to get her back—or so the pair think. Not surprisingly, things start to go awry once key secrets are revealed. For most of its running time, Blakeson maintains the spark and energy of the opening, but once betrayal and backstabbing enter into the picture, the compelling story turns unnecessarily convoluted. Luckily, the performances are pitch perfect and engaging within this initially lean and mean three-character premise. It's just too bad that Blakeson couldn't find a way to keep the same sinister, edge-of-your-seat atmosphere all the way through. Recommended, overall. (B. Gibron)