“The Disappearance of Alice Creed” was written and directed
by J. Blakeson. The movie was released in 2009, which is a crime and thriller
film about two British men who set up an apartment so that it can be presented
as a prison for a woman that they kidnap. This thriller film is a three-character
film that takes place in one location, which never fails to set a very tense
atmosphere.
Two men who conduct a plan to receive 2 million dollars
kidnap Alice (Gemma Arterton), the daughter of a very wealthy businessman. Vic
(Eddie Marsan) mainly thought of the plan the older male kidnapper; he planned
the entire process while he was in prison.
The environment was very calm and stable it seemed to me
like a perfect mood setter especially with the music, (by Marc Canham) to me it
felt like drama was about to happen because although the music was low it was
still tense and had that vibe where something was about to happen.
In the beginning of the film two of main characters Vic and
Danny (Martin Compston) focus on setting up the environment in which they will
keep the prisoner. There are a lot of close-up and extreme close up shots that
really show the very descriptive and detailed scenes of the preparations of
creating the environment and setting the mood of tense and drama. To me I felt
as though the shots were positioned very well and the lighting of the area
showed and expressed a very dramatic shot and scene. Most of the shots were
focused on Vic or Danny preparing the room. The lighting of the shots showed
and dramatized very simple basic scenes such as placing a cover over the window
or nailing in nails to the ground to keep the bed I place, which Alice will be
tied to. A lot of the shots change into mid shots, wide shots and many other
shots throughout the film. I think that many of the shots in the beginning of
the film show and set the environment and the entire setting of the movie. The
very first scenes show and produce the Mis-en-Scene. Where many props and
costumes were used throughout for the two kidnappers they both used different
costumes throughout to show how professional they are they knew what they were
doing and they understood the entire process well because Vic had been planning
for this for years while he was in prison. The different outfits that were used
were so that no evidence would come up if Alice escaped from them, no proof
would be valid. I think that this process and this strategy in particular shows
how much effort the characters put into this plan how much time they thought
about it.
I believe that Vic’s character in particular shows how
strong and confident he is because his character shows how determined and
driven he is to get what he wants and in this case he wants 2 million dollars. Danny’s
character is a bit more weak and scared of Vic because he is older and seems
more powerful Danny enjoys being pushed around by him but at times is a little
on edge and doesn’t enjoy being told what to do. There are several scenes in
the film where he snaps and can’t really handle the pushing the around. One
scene being where Danny says that he isn’t hungry and Vic forces him to eat
something. Vic shoves food into Danny’s mouth and Danny gets upset but still
feels at a weak state. One other scene where Danny feels like he should be
controlled is towards the end after Alice and Vic have a conversation about how
Danny really his, he’s playing for both teams. Danny’s character knows Alice
because she is his girlfriend and she starts to play along with the kidnapping
game in order to get money out of it, she made a deal with Danny. Alice ends up
turning on Danny and tries to escape but fails when Danny knocks her out. Later
on Vic and Danny have sexual encounter that shows that they are both
homosexuals. Danny’s character is hard to figure out he is hard to read and at
times you will never know what he is going to do. Alice’s character shows
weaknesses and strengths, she is weak in the beginning when she is first
kidnapped because she has no idea who the men are that kidnapped her but gets
used to them and becomes stronger about herself. She breaks down when Danny
puts a knife to her throat to force her to say some words to her father in a
video and then is tied up again. Alice’s character then changes when Danny
reveals himself to her after she has him at gunpoint. She becomes strong
because now she’s confident on who one of the kidnappers is. She is actually
smarter and more focused on her life rather then the deal she made with Danny
to get her father’s money. She can’t really trust anyone but herself she is
focused on her life and is determined to do whatever it takes to get free even
if it means to betray Danny.
The dialogue in the film tells a lot about characters it
gives the right amount of information that is needed in order to create the
scene and to create the mood. Each character form the movie expressed
themselves and proved how they really are rather it was scared yet strong like
Alice or strong and confident like Vic or weak and crazy like Danny. The
dialogues expressed all of their attitudes. They all presented themselves in a
certain way that showed how they truly are. Several scenes had dialogue and
music playing in the background to the point where they tried to make the scene
more believable. One scene that expressed this was when Vic and Alice were
talking about Danny and how he betrayed both of them. The music sets the scene
and makes it dramatic and very tense.
There were several scenes with narration in it from one
character to another between Vic and Danny you seen this a lot because Danny
was always hiding something from Vic and Vic was getting curious so he checked
in on him. I think that it would have been more interesting if there were some
narration with Alice getting the mouth gaud off her mouth and speaking through
the door to Danny and Vic it would of made the film more intense.
Throughout the movie there were many scenes where the
lighting, the color of the environment was dull to set the mood of two crazy
men getting what they want by taking a girl. I think that the editing was well
done but I do want to recommend one scene in the beginning where the first
kidnap Alice, maybe there could have been more to it. The director could have
showed how she was kidnapped rather then having a fade in and fade out black. I
think that the entire process of the storyline would click a little better if
this one scene were to be put in the film.
I would rate this movie about 7/10 because throughout the
film I saw various things I felt could have been improved or added in. One
scene in the beginning, with Alice getting kidnapped could have been improved.
Possibly could have added in more about Vic and how he went out to set
different hints on the plan at hand. Maybe we could have seen the process
through his eyes outside the doors of the apartment.
Act
I- Set Up
The environment is set-up and provides close ups on
the preparations on the area where the prisoner will be.
Plot
Point 1:
In need
of a hero Alice is in desperate need of help because she is taken hostage by
two men and no one hears her plea.
Act
II- Confrontation
Alice figures out one of her kidnappers, is her
boyfriend Danny.
Plot
Point 2:
Alice has him at gunpoint.
Act
III- Resolution
Alice tells Vic about Danny and her Vic gets upset
and comes up with a plan of his own to try and kill Danny but it doesn’t work
because Danny escapes.
Plot
Point 3:
After
Danny escapes Vic escapes to the new area where they placed Alice and takes the
money and tries to leave in a get away car. It doesn’t work because Danny shows
up and kills Vic and leaves Alice there handcuffed and alone.
Aftermath
Alice is
left in the new environment alone with Vic’s dead body next to her. Before Vic
dies he passes Alice the keys so she can escape.
Plot
Point 4:
Alice
escapes with the money because she later walks down the road after she escapes and
finds Danny dead in the car with a bag of money next to him. She is relieved
she is safe, alive and free.