The Disappearance Of Alice Creed

Director: J Blakeson (2009)

Starring: Gemma Arterton, Martin Compston, Eddie Marsan

Find it: IMDB, Amazon

Not horror, but thrilling, gripping and with enough ball gag action to make the Horror Review Hole cut. Proof that Gemma Arterton is more than just a pretty face. (Further) proof that Eddie Marsan is one of the most underrated actors in British film. Furthering the career of the ball gag as the gag du jour for Indie cinema. The Disappearance Of Alice Creed is a low-budget Brit thriller which sees Gemma Arterton playing a very different kind of bond girl, kidnapped and locked away in a smelly flat.

Both no things and lots of things happen over the course of the movie. The action is largely restrained (no pun intended) to one room and occasionally a toilet. Only three characters are seen throughout. In all honestly, Alice Creed doesn't need anything else. It's an incredibly tense, gripping and thrilling movie, packed full of twists and neat character moments. The main trio are all excellent, with Marsan and Compston managing to make horrible characters seem sympathetic if not likeable. Arterton, despite being tied to a bed with a gag in her mouth for most of the time, is great and manages to do a lot with very little. It can't have been an easy role, but she's brilliant in it - more than making up for dodgy turns in the likes of Prince Of Persia.

Gratuitous screencap , pandering to the Damsel In Distress fans who make up at least 20% of this site's readership*

It's difficult to talk about Alice Creed, since a lot of its power relies on its various twists and turns. It has its moments of predictability and runs out of steam occasionally, but these are very minor faults. Its UK cinema release was less than glorious, Predictable joke ->but one should try their very hardest to ensure Alice Creed makes her appearance in a DVD player near you ASAP <- Predictable joke.

* That probably includes myself**
** Yes, I'm arrogant enough to admit I'm a fan of my own site***
*** But only for the pictures of gratuitous bondage and Zooey Deschanel****
**** And you too can become a fan here