Compliance

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

'Compliance' is based on a bizarre, real-life crime that occurred at a McDonald's restaurant in a small town in Kentucky. The criminal who committed this crime also committed approximately 70 other similar crimes over a span of ten years; although the crime at the Kentucky McDonald's was the worst.

The odd thing about the crime is that it was committed with the perpetrator on the phone in the State of Florida. SUPER SPOILERS AHEAD. All the events in the film are basically what happened during the real life event; except instead of a McDonald's, the establishment in the film is a fried chicken restaurant.

The perp pretended to be a police officer and convinced the manager of the restaurant, that a young, teenage employee of hers had stolen money from a customer earlier in the day. He tells the manager, Sandra, that his colleagues are busy and she needs to take the employee in the back room, where she is instructed to strip search her.

Any normal person with the slightest bit of common sense would have realized that this was some kind of scam or a pervert getting his rocks off from the get go, but Sandra is one of those people who never thinks of questioning authority, and follows everyone of the perpetrator's directives. Becky, the young employee, who now finds herself virtually naked, is covered only by an apron. The caller manipulates Becky as well, claiming that her brother could face charges, as he is also the subject of a police investigation.

Things become even more cringeworthy (and I guarantee that you'll be squirming in your seat), when the perverted caller convinces Sandra to call her fiancé to the restaurant, in order to watch the hapless Becky. Van is even more of a 'Yes Man' than Sandra and ends up first spanking her for ten minutes and then instructs her to have oral sex, at the behest of the caller. This goes on for over two hours, as Sandra is outside, helping customers. Van finally leaves but calls a friend from his car, acknowledging that he just did a "very bad thing".

After a custodian comes in and realizes what's going on, he has Sandra call her regional manager, who supposedly was at the police station with the caller but in reality was sleeping at home.

How could anyone be so gullible to believe that the guy on the other end of the line was actually a cop? His instructions become so ludicrous, that any normal person would have realized what was going on. But we're not dealing with 'normal' people here. Like the good Germans in Nazi Germany, who followed 'orders', the employees of this particular fast food restaurant, simply 'complied' with the authority figure who was giving them orders. Perhaps they had such a fear of punishment (the manager thought she might lose her job and the fiancé and the store employee, thought they might end up being placed under arrest), that this caused them to become the 'ultimate followers'.

On a moral plane, some have argued that everyone involved in this incident was a victim. For me, at least Sandra and Van, as a result of their absurd gullibility and slavish devotion to authority, are just as guilty as the caller, for facilitating the events that occurred. You can make some excuses for Becky, due to her young age, but it's hard believing that she's representative of the average teenager (Dreama Walker doesn't quite hit the mark as Becky, acting more annoyed than in fear for her life; Ann Dowd, as Sandra, is much more convincing, as the clueless and arrogant company worker).

Believe it or not, the police finally did catch the caller but he was acquitted at trial, after the prosecution was unable to prove definitely that he had made the actual calls to the restaurant. The fiancé ended up getting five years for sexual abuse but the real-life Sandra and Becky successfully sued McDonald's and got million dollar payouts (Sandra claimed McDonald's was aware of the prank calls but did nothing to alert their employees about them beforehand).

One must acknowledge that 'Compliance' is a well made film, which keeps your interest from beginning to end. I don't think writer/director Craig Zobel, should be credited so much in the creative screenplay department, since he basically regurgitated the events that occurred from the real-life incident. And while the tension escalates nicely to the denouement, this is not a film that I'll be rushing out to see again. See it once, and you'll very much get the idea what it's about.

'Compliance' has engendered quite a bit of discussion on the internet about the nature of those morally challenged 'yes men', who are unable to judge right from wrong, due to their subservience to authority figures. Let's hope that this incident (and others like them), are the exception to the rule--that there aren't a lot of people out there who would so readily follow the dictates of such a diabolical manipulator. But judging from history, my optimism about people in general, may entirely be a pipe dream!

The fact that this incident actually took place is the main reason I am giving this film a somewhat positive review. I read the U.S.A. Today article on the truth behind this movie and the journalist stated that the crime was accurately depicted- except for the portrayal of the victim. The article said that the young girl involved in the story was, in real life, crying and protesting her treatment throughout the incident. If the film had portrayed her this way, I don't believe many people could have endured the entire thing. As it is, it is hard to watch.

If you are going to watch this film you should be prepared to be frustrated and angry with the people who willingly went along with this malicious prank - and in the process, became worse than the perpetrator himself. I've heard of people drinking lemon detergent or drying their kittens in the microwave but this is a documented incident of truly incredible human stupidity and there were others like it in several states.

The film is subtly photographed in a style that helps set the tone of the story. The director keeps the viewer in squeamish suspense wondering "How far will this go?" and "Where is the voice of reason?"(thank god an actual voice of reason does eventually arrive)....The truly hard questions come AFTER the film, when you will ask "How could my fellow human beings be so stupid and cold hearted?" or worse, "Is ANYONE capable of such willing moral blindness?"

This was a simple and provocative piece - well acted, directed, and produced. The main character is a bit under- responsive for her circumstances - which tends to make you mad at her too.
In the end - the film, as well as the actual crime, reveals a depressing truth about people in our society.
A tough pill to swallow.

This is both a dramatically provocative and important film for anyone above the age of early adolesence.

In the early 60's, Psychologist Milgram did a series of studies in which he persuaded both students and non-students to
administer painful shock to subjects. This experiment was done under the guise of testing learning theory. In many, many instances the subjects (confederates) screamed in pain and begged the subjects to stop. Yet because the subjects were instructed to do so by an experimenter in authority, the subjects (playing the role of teachers) continued shocking the subjects. These findings illustrate the power of authority in inducing ordinary people to do horrid things to others. Naturally the ugly, unforgettable real-world manifestation of this is the holocaust. "I was only following orders" goes the feeble reply when the Nazi and SS were forced to answer for their crimes.

The film "Compliance" is a modern day, dramatic, creative, and compelling reenactment of the Milgram studies. As such, it is a "must see" for academics from all fields, but particularly from those focusing interpersonal communication, leadership, persuasion, social psychology, sociology, journalism, law enforcement, and public administration.

In addition to its suitable as an instructional aid and stimulus to classroom discussions, it is an extremely well acted and
fascinating film. Artistically, it is well photographed, and the dialogue and actors are superb. This story is, in fact, a dramatic rendering of real-life instances of similar crimes committed throughout the U.S.

I cannot recommend enough this intelligent, provocative film.

--Wm. R. Todd-Mancillas