Dir. J. Blakeson, UK, 2009, 100 mins
Cast: Gemma Arterton, Martin Compston, Eddie Marsan
Review by Carol Allen
This is a cracking little thriller about a millionaire's daughter, who's kidnapped on the street by two masked men and held hostage. Despite this being a well used movie situation, the story is original and full of unexpected twists. It's very well plotted and structured, briskly paced, so we never lose interest and convincingly acted by its cast of three.
Marsan plays Vic, the ruthless professional, Compston his apparently naïve younger accomplice and Arterton their spirited and full of tricks victim Alice, who puts up a fight all the way along the line. The film grabs our attention in its intriguing opening scenes, where we see the detailed and careful preparations the two men are making for the kidnapping, and the tension and interest never let up from then on. The story is full of carefully thought out detail, such as the humiliating toilet procedures to which Alice is subjected, and full of really good and unexpected twists, which are very well placed. To say any more about the plot would spoil the experience. Suffice it to say that none of the characters are what they appear to be on the surface. Although the action is largely set inside the house where Alice is held prisoner, it still feels very cinematic and the resolution of the story, when it finally moves out of that enclosed environment, brings it to a perfect, ironic conclusion.
Writer/Director Blakeson is a bit of a new kid on the block. He co-wrote the screenplay for The Descent Part 2, and has directed a couple of well received shorts. Shot on the Isle of Man, this is a perfect, tightly enclosed choice of subject for his first feature film, giving him the opportunity to concentrate on his story telling and directing the actors, without having to deal with crowds of extras, car chases and special effects. The somewhat mysteriously monikered J. Blakeson is a talent to watch and I look forward to seeing what he comes up with next.
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