Thursday, December 26, 2013

Compliance (2012)


Director – Craig Zobel
Writers – 
Craig Zobel
Production Company – Bad Cop Bad Cop Productions, Dogfish Pictures, Muskat Filmed Properties
Stars – Ann Dowd, Dreama Walker

Compliance isn’t exactly a horror movie, unless you take into account that this really happened, and happened a lot.  Compliance follows a particular incident that happened in Mount Washington Kentucky, where a prank caller posing as a police officer, manages to talk quite a few people into doing crazy things all in the name of following authority.  I think it's OK to go into this movie knowing the whole story, but spoilers are to follow.



Ann Dowd plays Sandra, the restaurant manager, receives a prank call from a man impersonating a police officer.  Sandra is under some intense pressure throughout the movie to keep her restaurant running but also field this phone call.  Sandra’s being told that one of her workers has stolen from a customer that day.  She will be asked to assist the “police officer”over the phone.


Spoilers

Becky played by Dreama Walker is the naive teenager who is accused of the theft and brought to a back room, where her life’s about to change.  The caller demands that employees search Becky. She’s brought into an office and ordered to remove her clothes.  Sandra is slightly reluctant while performing the strip search, but is almost romanced by the prank caller into complying with his demands.



Many other people will participate at various points in the movie, but none are worse than Sandra’s fiancé.  Van is asked to drive into the restaurant to help Sandra with the situation. Van doesn’t even work there, but the prank caller wants a male to watch Becky, one that Sandra trusts.  What follows are two hours of utter disbelief for me, Becky is searched over by Van in very demeaning ways, and it will all end with an implied full on sexual assault – and Van leaving the restaurant saying he’s done something bad. Sandra throughout the movie remains unaware of just how far the prank has gone concerning Van.



Eventually a maintenance man is brought in to watch Becky, after Van rushes out.  He actually refuses to comply with the caller, and that’s when everyone becomes aware that they’ve been duped. 

End Spoilers

If I would have seen this movie and not have known it was actually based on truth I would have thought the story was really out there, and honestly, might have written off the movie. Knowing it’s based on truth I can really say I enjoyed this film immensely.  The cast is top notch, it’s filmed beautifully, and the music is atmospheric.  I felt like I was trapped in that room with Becky, and this whole time the rest of the place is just booming with regular patrons enjoying their food.


I highly recommend this movie, and think if you go in knowing it’s based on truth, it makes it even more enjoyable...except you might be yelling at the screen a few times!  

More info on the actual case HERE & HERE


No comments:

Post a Comment