'Tis the summer of foolish releasing. Last week I went on about the bizarre decision to open Jaco van Dormael's Mr. Nobody head to head against the juggernaut that is Inception - a surefire way to make sure Mr. Nobody will fail despite being damn good - and the summer release slate doesn't make any more sense moving forward. Remember the days when studios would book their summer slots up to a year in advance and shuffle things around quietly until they ended up with a schedule that made sure there was something big coming out every week and things were nicely spaced out? Yeah, those days are gone, with things now coming in fits and starts and a host of good films getting the crap kicked out of them as a result.

Case in point: Not much to see this week. Not much to see next week. Nor the week after that. But get this. On August 13th we get not only the wide releases of would-be blockbusters The Expendables and Scott Pilgrim Versus The World but also limited releases for Sundance winner Animal Kingdom, gripping UK thriller The Disappearance of Alice Creed, Vincent Cassel starring true crime story Mesrine: Killer Instinct, art-house hit Soul Kitchen and the latest from famed Japanese animation house to hit these shores, Tales From Earthsea. Oh, and there's a new Julia Roberts film tucked in there, too. Best case scenario is that all but two of these will fail to make a nickel but in a vain attempt to change that and give myself something to do other than griping about the films coming out in the weeks between now and then I'm going to spend the next few weeks writing about films coming on the 13th rather than about what's coming in the current week of releases. Up first: The Disappearance of Alice Creed.

Back in 1994 a fresh young voice burst on to the international film scene thanks to a twisty, sharply executed, three player ensemble thriller. That film was UK effort Shallow Grave, the director Danny Boyle and it is well nigh impossible not to see J Blakeson's debut The Disappearance of Alice Creed in much the same light. Smart but grounded, stylish without playing up the flash, Blakeson's film is a pointed, nasty little head trip. Like Shallow Grave it features a trio of largely unknown actors - at least unknown at the time of filming, since Gemma Arterton has become rather big since - and plays out almost entirely on a single set. Like Shallow Grave it pushes themes of greed out to their inevitable, bloody conclusion, and like Shallow Grave neither its stars or director are going to remain unknown for long.

Gemma Arterton (Quantum of Solace, Clash of the Titans, Prince of Persia) is the titular Alice Creed, the daughter of a wealthy businessman. Eddie Marsan (Sherlock Holmes) and Martin Compston (Doomsday) are the men who make her disappear. The villainous duo have worked their plan out to the smallest detail, or at least they think they have. It's a basic kidnap scheme, a day or two tops before they are fabulously wealthy and Alice is back at home safe and sound. But to get to that point they first have to keep her contained in the apartment they have soundproofed and fortified for that purpose. But nobody is quite being honest and greed has a way of driving a wedge into even the most well laid plan.

The Disappearance of Alice Creed is the sort of film that you're better off not knowing too much about when going in and so I'll leave it at that. All you really need to know is that this is as immaculately plotted and tightly executed thriller as you're likely to see this year and it comes with three absolutely stellar performances as well. Blakeson proves to be a remarkably poised and confident director and his three stars serve him well. Given the screen space taken up by the big trio of releases coming on the same day this one will not be easy to find but it is very, very well worth the effort.