DVD Corner

And Soon The Darkness and The Disappearance Of Alice Creed DVD Reviews

“And Soon The Darkness” and “The Disappearance Of Alice Creed” are two intense character centric crime flicks.

“The Disappearance Of Alice Creed” begins with two methodical criminals kidnapping the daughter of a millionaire. They stash the woman at an undisclosed location and hold her there until they can get the ransom money. As the film progresses, we soon learn that not everyone is on the same page when it comes to this plan. I could say more, but that would be spoiling the mysteries.

At first glance, ‘Creed’ looks like an average crime flick about kidnapping, but thanks to some sharp writing by screenwriter J Blakeson, the film is full of twists and turns. Without giving too much away, viewers can expect story elements about love, greed, and deception.

Like “And Soon The Darkness” (reviewed below), ‘Creed’ is another film that is very much character oriented. Danny, Vic, and Alice are all intriguing characters and actors Martin Compston, Eddie Marsan and actress Gemma Arterton all give stand-out performances here. I was especially impressed by Gemma Arterton who I was not really a fan of before as she was rather forgettable in “Quantum Of Solace” and “Clash Of The Titans.” Perhaps she just needs better material (like ‘Creed’) to give a good performance.

Summary: “The Disappearance Of Alice Creed” was a pleasantly surprising crime flick. Highly recommended.

The 2.40:1 widescreen picture quality is as good as it gets for DVD.  Likewise, the Dolby Digital 5.1 audio track did it’s job well.

Extras:
* Anchor Bay trailers including one for “The Disappearance Of Alice Creed.”
* Storyboard to finished scene comparison.
* One deleted and one extended scene

* 4 minutes of outtakes.

* A rather monotone commentary by writer/director J Blakeson.

“And Soon The Darkness” begins with two beautiful American women (Stephanie and Ellie) vacationing in Argentina (by themselves). The two seem to be having the time of their lives as they bike around the city and mingle with local townspeople. The trip soon becomes a living hell, however, when Ellie mysteriously disappears. A nervous and scared Stephanie tries to seek help, but the local authorites don’t seem to be of much help (nor are they trustworthy). The only person she can turn to is an American Man (Michael) staying at the same hotel as her who has a secret of his own. Who has kidnapped Ellie and will she be found alive? What is Michael hiding? Are the local authorities corrupt? All is revealed in the end.

Let me just start off by saying that “And Soon The Darkness” is nothing you haven’t seen before. Not only is the film a remake, but it’s very reminiscent of films like “Hostel” or “U-Turn.” Basically, it’s just like any other dark stranger in a strange land story. What really sets this film apart from the others, however, is character. Rather than excessively focus on the thriller/horror aspects, this is wisely a more character driven film. While some may argue that this approach slows the pacing, I found it to be rather refreshing. Sure, the film has some questionable character action moments, but what thriller doesn’t? Someone always has to make a stupid decision in order to build suspense.

 As for the cast, Amber Heard, Odette Yustman and Karl Urban all shine in their roles. I’m honestly kind of surprised that this film only went straight to DVD as it was better than a lot of the theatrical junk I saw in 2010.

Summary: “And Soon The Darkness” is worth a rental.

The 2.40:1 widescreen picture quality is gorgeous although I wish I could have seen this in Blu-ray as the cinemtography was incredible.

The Dolby Digital 5.1 audio track is satisfactory. Nothing more needs to be said.

Extras:
* Anchor Bay trailers (including one for “And Soon The Darkness”).
* 7 minutes of deleted scenes.
* An 11 minute Director’s Video Diary which is narrated by director Marcos Efron. Included in this diary is behind-the-scenes footage of the production. Worth a watch to hear about what the production was like.
* Commentary by Marcos Efron, Todd E. Miller and Gabriel Beristain. If you want to hear more about the film’s production, give this a listen.

January 1, 2011 - Posted by nicklyons1 | DVD review | Amber Heard, And Soon The Darkness DVD Review, Gemma Arterton, Karl Urban, Odette Yustman, The Disappearance Of Alice Creed DVD Review