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Ann Dowd, Dreama Walker, Pat Healy, Bill Camp, Philip Ettinger ... see more see more... , Ashlie Atkinson , James McCaffrey , Matt Servitto , Nikiya Mathis , Ralph Rodriguez , Stephen Payne , Amelia Fowler , John Merolla , Desmin Borges , Matt Skibiak , Maren McKee , Raymond McAnally , George Asatrian , Rebecca Henderson , Jeffrey Grover , Michael Abbott Jr. , Samuel Caruana , Matthew Peter Murphy

Becky and Sandra aren't the best of friends. Sandra is a middle-aged manager at a fast-food restaurant; Becky is a teenaged counter girl who really needs the job. One stressful day (too many customers... read more read more... and too little bacon), a police officer calls, accusing Becky of stealing money from a customer's purse, which she vehemently denies. Sandra, overwhelmed by her managerial responsibilities, complies with the officer's orders to detain Becky. This choice begins a nightmare that tragically blurs the lines between expedience and prudence, legality and reason. -- (C) Magnolia

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R, 1 hr. 30 min.

Directed by: Craig Zobel

Release Date: August 17, 2012

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DVD Release Date: January 8, 2013

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Flixster Reviews (931)

  • blkbomb
    June 13, 2013
    blkbomb
    Sandra: I'll do... everything that you need.

    Compliance is a pretty good little indie drama that examines the sheep like nature of what human beings have become, especially when they believe they are dealing with a higher authority than themselves. The movie feels a bit longwind... read moreed at times, which isn't a good thing when a movie clocks in at a dainty hour and twenty-five minutes, but nonetheless, it worked. The movie was well-made from a technical outlook. It was well shot, well acted, and had an atmosphere setting tone from the very start.

    Sandra is a manager of a fast food restaurant. Today is a hectic day, not only did she lose over a thousand dollars worth of food last night when someone didn't shut the freezer all the way, but it's her busiest day of the week and they're short on food and manpower. The day gets more stressful when she receives a call from a man claiming to be a police officer. He says that he has a woman with him who claims that one of the employees, Becky, stole money. He then tells Sandra and others what he needs them to do as he can't presently get there. Some of which is highly disturbing.

    Supposedly, Compliance is based on a true story and at the end of the film even states that around 70 cases like this have occurred in more than 30 states. This says a lot about two different types of people. Firstly, the disgusting nature of the caller who obviously loves having power over people and loves seeing what he can make them do. Then there's the people who actually go along with it, in this case, Sandra. 

    Compliance isn't a must watch, but I can't deny that it isn't an interesting and altogether well made film. It's not a movie that is fun to watch, yet it isn't strenuous to get through either. It's one that really needs to be seen to be understood and if you come across it, give it a look, because it is an extremely interesting movie.
  • FrizzDrop
    April 18, 2013
    FrizzDrop
    This film does so much with real life events and yet also says something new about psychological horror, thrillers, and independent films. This is inspired by the true events surrounding a crank caller, which led to many sexual assaults and some confused restaurant employees and ... read moretheir managers. This film takes place in one particular franchise where the Friday rush is proving to be difficult for an overwhelmed manager trying to deal with so many things at once. Suddenly a phone call comes in from a police officer, who tells the manager that one of her employees has been suspected of stealing a customer's money out of her purse, and the manager needs to keep the employee in the back room until they can arrive from her house where they have found drugs and other paraphernalia. The office says all this with an authority and curtness that leads the manager to believe his every word, and he is so empathetic and persuasive as well that she takes it all in stride. The restaurant continues to hum, but the sick perversion of the caller continually leads to the debasement of the worker who hasn't done anything wrong. The film is a study into the psychological process that a person can use with authority of the law to screw with people without them seriously considering the logic behind these commands. Everyone seems to blindly obey this faceless man although there is no reason to, especially legally. Of course several employees do question the validity of the line of questioning, but when it comes down to it, the questioning is often met with an argument from the officer and they are reprimanded by the manager. It comes to pass that this girl, who is holed up in the back of the restaurant, not given any rights, stripped, and made to comply with the demands of a voice without identification, is hurt. This film does well at not exploiting the situation or the true victim of these events, and opens up a dialogue about what you would do in the same situation. The way it wraps itself up and distinguishes it as something that really happens was also very well done, and this film does so much for how truly small it is, which is just so impressive.
  • axadntpron
    March 11, 2013
    axadntpron
    Compliance is essentially a horror film without a body count. It is not only one hell of a tough sit, but one that has terrible implications for humanity.

    Phillip Zimbardo in his book "The Lucifer Effect" shows how when average people are in the right circumstances, they are cap... read moreable of incredible evils. If Zimbardo's theory were on trial, Compliance would be exhibit A.

    Starting as an average day, local fast food employee Becky soon finds herself the victim of a prank call. One that should have easily been dimissed, but due to societal, occupational, & a variety of other pressures, is allowed to flourish into a full-blown case of sexual assault.

    Through a constant establishment of authority & an acceptance of all responsiblity, this miscreant gains access and is allowed control of a group of people who are accomplishing his nefarious deeds; all whilst believing that what they are doing is simply a part of some banal protocol.

    It is frustrating, maddening, and were it not a true story, damn near unbelievable. Yet, it speaks to humanity's power to overlook degradation as long as somebody else is calling the shots. A message as important as it is uncomfortable.
  • fb840810656
    February 25, 2013
    fb840810656
    "Compliance" left me with a mixed bag of emotions. On one hand, I felt like it was incredibly well-directed and captivating. On the other hand, I found it frustrating and just wanted one person to realize how ridiculous "Officer Daniel"'s requests were. I suppose this is exactly ... read morethe type of viewing experience Zobel was trying to create, and he succeeded in making a very solid film. Grade: B-
  • YLOWBSTARDreturns
    February 16, 2013
    YLOWBSTARDreturns
    Because a film about the inner workings of a fast food restaurant isn't nearly disturbing enough, we get "Compliance," a bold, equally maddening piece of work that will provoke thought, test patience, and turn stomachs.

    "Compliance" traces a busy Friday evening at an average, a... read morell-American fast food joint. Sandra (Ann Dowd, in an award-worthy turn) is the manager; commencing her workday with utter seriousness. She nags her employees, making few friends in the process and finds embellishing her sexual exploits an acceptable way of getting their approval. She has her favorites though, but early on we sense Becky (Dreama Walker) isn't one of them.

    She seems like your regular teen; working a dead end job she hates but fears losing. When a mysterious caller, claiming to be a policeman, informs Sandra that Becky has committed a theft, the girl is restrained at her own will in a back room monitored by management and a variety of clueless staff. The caller demands that Becky be stripped searched, but that's only the beginning. The caller progressively pushes the boundaries while a compliant Sandra never questions his authority. With work pilling up, Sandra is persuaded to get her fiancee involved.

    Few films will test your endurance the way "Compliance" does. This is a harrowing work of realist depravity. How much psychological abuse can we take? In a film of characters making the poorest decisions imaginable, which will be the one to make us finally cry "uncle?" It's a testament to the film's power that we cannot look away. We are helpless observers...and we are involved in the proceedings whether we like it or not. Knowing the film is based on true events (and doesn't stray far from fact) is simple staggering.

    Most fascinating is how the filmmakers shift our perception on the film's characters; especially that of Becky. A lesser film would have her portrayed as a helpless victim, rendering the film exploitative. "Compliance" is smarter than that. Writer/ director Craig Zobel makes Becky a victim of herself. Why can't she grasp the lunacy of her situation?Can she not sense that something's clearly off? She can bring the situation to a halt at any time, but through her naivety chooses not to. She is simultaneously the oppressed and the oppressor. Alternately, Sandra sporadically comes off as sympathetic. We sense she's just trying to do the right thing but her common sense unfortunately rests on a shaky foundation. She's obviously preoccupied; with Friday being the busiest workday and all!

    Early on, the identity of the mystery caller is revealed. Well played. "Compliance" doesn't wan't to be a mystery film and from the get go establishes itself as something that can't simply be categorized under cinema's various tropes. It's Zobel's determination to have the film play by nobody's rules but his own that makes it so strong. There is a scene in the final act involving Sandra's husband that brought me to almost punch a hole in my TV screen. It's so over the top and far removed from anything that a person would subject themselves to that even after I found out it actually happened, I was shocked it made it's way into the film. The filmmakers just lay it all on the line.Whether it makes their film seem less credible or whether or not an audience can accept it is of little concern; and that's brave.

    "Compliance" is a wakeup call to a society that would allow such events to occur in the first place. It's not a movie to simply enjoy, rather a cerebral one to discuss and reflect on. It's not an easy watch, but In it's own way it's quite the film, and despite it's content deserves to be seen by all ages.
  • kiriyamakazou
    February 3, 2013
    kiriyamakazou
    A shocking and important movie that should be required viewing for everyone. Based on true events about a crank caller being able to force people to do the most horrendous things, Compliance is a real look at how dangerous, gullible, and compliant human beings can be. If you thou... read moreght the Nazis defence of "We were only following orders" is a weak one, then I suggest you watch this and shiver at the fact that it is almost 100% completely true. The fact this happened more than once is very telling of society. Zobel delves heroically into the subject matter, and could easily have made it more "believable", but instead shows us things unfold at a questionable rate. The claustrophobic setting and shots builds the tension, and when juxtaposing the events i the backroom with the hectic workings of a fast food restaurant we see how such evil really can lurk so close by. The performances are immense and the music is well suited. I think it's very interesting how angry this film has made some people, and I would guess the reason is they are uncomfortable thinking that they could be just as easily manipulated.
  • 366weirdmovies
    January 15, 2013
    366weirdmovies
    A man calls a fast food restaurant claiming to be a police officer and talks the manager into conducting a strip search of an 18-year old female employee; as the harried manager returns to cover the girl's shift, the caller cons others into humiliating the innocent girl with incr... read moreeasingly deviant requests. Intensely provocative and tense, it will have you screaming at the screen at the characters' stupidity. You wouldn't believe it was possible people would meekly submit to the bizarre demands of an apparent authority figure so easily, except that it's based on a true story of a prank caller who called almost 100 fast food franchises across the country and tricked seven of them into falling for the strip search ruse.
  • gokhale1
    January 10, 2013
    gokhale1
    ***NOTE: The following analysis/review may contain MILD SPOILERS regarding some detail in the film, but not to the extent of making the film viewing experience any lesser.


    In 1961, Yale University Psychologist Stanley Milgram conducted a series of social psychology experime... read morents, collectively termed The Milgram Experiment. These experiments tested the willingness of the participants to submit to a person of authority by obeying him/her and perform certain acts even if they went against their moral conscience. The purpose of the experiment was specifically to answer a question about the existence of a sense of morality in some Nazi SS Officers who carried out the Holocaust. The point that was being driven at was, that a majority of these officers were only following orders, and it had nothing to do with their own moral beliefs about the ghastly deeds in question.

    [img]https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-QgLt1fvayHw/UO7F2-ijVXI/AAAAAAAADN0/yvIGEtdbC5Q/s720/vlcsnap-2013-01-10-18h42m49s140.jpg[/img]

    Something similar was done much later, only this was no official experiment. It was a series of prank calls made to fast food chains and departmental stores over a few years in the early 2000s! The caller posing to be an authoritative figure, like a policeman, called up mostly fast food restaurants in small towns across the USA and convinced the store managers/floor managers to conduct strip searches of their young female employees, under the pretext of seeking their help to carry out a bigger police investigation! One of these cases went so far as to turn into a lewd circus of humiliation, involving three to four other members, one of them not even employed with the restaurant! All this, thanks to the very smooth-talking caller and a dimwitted store manager who felt she was helping the police! This shocking event happened at a McDonald's restaurant in Mount Washington, Kentucky. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strip_search_prank_call_scam#Mount_Washington.2C_Kentucky.2C_incident).

    [img]https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-7MunLImAGJs/UO7F5aTWU6I/AAAAAAAADOk/NyhtNHjGsXo/s574/vlcsnap-2013-01-10-19h09m52s50.jpg[/img]

    Writer-Director Craig Zobel's 2012 disturbing thriller, "Compliance" is based on this event. Sandra (Ann Dowd, terrific; the best performance in the film), a middle-aged manager of Chickwich, a local fast food chain, is having a bad day at work. It's Friday and there was already an incidence of a freezer door being left open the night before, leading to spoiled goods worth $1500! Already upset and somewhat tensed about facing the regional manager about this, she instructs her employees to be on their toes and make do with whatever limited urgent stock of Bacon and pickles they ordered. Business continues as usual, until one phone call made to the back office changes everything!

    [img]https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-dx_rpJqAl2w/UO7F3UvtLyI/AAAAAAAADN8/35Lm4VD1vk8/s450/vlcsnap-2013-01-10-18h49m02s29.jpg[/img]

    A voice claiming to be Officer Daniels (Pat Healy) asks to speak with Sandra and informs her that there's a person with him, reporting a theft by one of the employees at ChickWich, a young, blonde girl. He also claims that he has the regional manager on the other line and wants to get to the bottom of the matter on the phone if possible, and get it over with sooner. Sandra, believing the girl in question to be Becky (Dreama Walker), as she fits the description, brings her in. Mentioning that there was no officer to run over to the restaurant right now, Officer Daniels smooth talks Sandra and convinces her that she would do a great favor to the police by helping out. After an initial search for the stolen money in Becky's pockets and purse, Sandra is instructed to strip search the girl, and if necessary, hinted to carry out a body cavity search! And this is where things start to get uglier. The caller asks a lot of questions, some uncomfortable ones, reaffirms that he is the authority, the law, and it is Sandra's and the other staff's duty to comply! He also adds that there is a bigger investigation going on, and if either Becky or Sandra refuse to cooperate, he may have to detain her or both of them in police custody for questioning!

    [img]https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-wXko1gpOuEA/UO7JenKWWqI/AAAAAAAADQU/mb8jNMMBwcQ/s554/vlcsnap-2013-01-10-18h47m26s157.jpg[/img]

    What begins as a preliminary check to look for money turns into an ordeal of humiliation and harassment that continues over the next few hours, with involvement from others, including Sandra's fiancé, Van (Bill Camp, in a neatly restrained, ambiguous performance), participating in the revolting act which, indeed, turns into an abasing sexual assault, all at the behest of the caller who calls himself the authority!

    [img]https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-SPaT1cmpliM/UO7F5IBaiWI/AAAAAAAADOc/yZgO5I41-us/s720/vlcsnap-2013-01-10-19h07m02s97.jpg[/img]

    Though not a very easy film to watch, Zobel gives us a highly effective, claustrophobic nail-biter; a kind of film that is capable of having a strong psychological effect on the viewer. It proves to be Zobel's own experiment with the audiences to find how they react as mute spectators to the on-goings in the film! What kind of a reaction is this film capable of invoking? I am sure there may have been several walkouts, some others may have scoffed at the implausibility of the events, still others must have felt sickened, yet sat through it anyway! There were a few times I felt like yelling "How dumb is this! Verify if that man is indeed a police officer! No policeman would ask you to do that! Why aren't you personally calling the regional manager?" My own reaction was that of seething rage, frustration and helplessness. It was simply difficult to fathom that something like this could happen! And then that paves the way for jotting down several character actions and reactions which could go down as inherent technical flaws or holes that demand a lot of suspension of disbelief on the part of the viewer! Why give in to the caller's demands? Why not just let yourself get arrested, come face to face with the complainant and get the matter sorted out? Why even perform the deeds? Can they just not pretend? The caller can't see them anyway. Why does Sandra not call the regional manager herself to corroborate the officer's claim that he is on the other line? Why does Sandra leave her middle-aged, drunk fiancé alone with Becky and ask him to obey the officer's orders? And finally, why does he in turn, comply? Did he not have the sanity that the woman he was engaged to, lacked? Maybe it was his own loyalty being put to the test by the twisted mind of the caller! Maybe he was already a man, sick in the head, being seduced by a golden chance of being an authority by himself and getting to do forbidden things to a comely young girl half his age...

    [img]https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-tIaxPTTcc-s/UO7F4k_5mjI/AAAAAAAADOU/yzJAQyNrxYQ/s656/vlcsnap-2013-01-10-18h56m38s46.jpg[/img]

    A lot many questions keep hammering you until you face the fact that such behavior is very much possible, if not always probable! At this juncture we would probably put ourselves in their shoes. What would we have done in a similar situation? Majority of the answers would be "anything but that"! Frankly, that's easier said than done, with a police officer being put on hold, threatening to detain one of you in custody for not co-operating with the law! Maybe some of us would risk it, and eventually save ourselves a lot of trouble. But this is exactly where diverse human traits come into play! Not all of us are risk takers are we?

    [img]https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-GlhMLqHd4-g/UO7F3gurIaI/AAAAAAAADOA/dY5SvNLhijk/s537/vlcsnap-2013-01-10-18h53m33s213.jpg[/img]

    Then we recall Milgram's experiment! Milgram did find some success, wherein the subjects obeyed the experimenter, regardless of their personal view on the act in question! At least the subjects in Milgram's experiments knew they were a part of an experiment, but still went along, when prodded! It is reported that in Milgram's first set of experiments, he had more than 50% subjects who complied! But the characters in this film are only meek individuals trying to make a living. They merely wanted to get the situation out of the way as quickly as possible and avoid a long police procedure! Blame it on lack of common sense or lack of intelligence. Or in other cases, the fear of the law or simply the itch for dominance and power! No matter how ridiculous and twisted the demands of the caller got, the people in question, barring a couple, always obeyed! Did they do wrong?

    [img]https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-4zLJNglAQVk/UO7F4uNDjLI/AAAAAAAADOY/MVS8AmenvXo/s720/vlcsnap-2013-01-10-19h01m19s39.jpg[/img]

    Nonetheless, the inevitable aftermath of the incident followed; people were fired, others went into therapy, and the perpetrator, an ordinary family man got arrested (and later acquitted!). But at what cost? An unfortunate incident, a harmless prank turning into a lifetime of shame!

    Barring the rather cold, wooden performance of Dreama Walker, as Becky, the victim, "Compliance" is a remarkable low-budget indie thriller that is worth your time. If for nothing else, do watch it as an lesson in awareness. It could happen to you...!
  • fb100001581602053
    January 5, 2013
    fb100001581602053
    Harrowing, frustrating, and challenging, however, choosing to have our minimum wage working victim remain stoic and irritated instead of the more realistic fearful and loathing raises more questions about the screenplay than of moral and social qualms (even though I appreciate th... read moreat we didn't get 90 minutes of a constantly crying teenage cashier).
  • fb733768972
    January 5, 2013
    fb733768972
    Now this is a very questionable film, going from extremely disturbing scenes, to downright impossible situations. This film may be based on actual events, but I know for certain that it wouldn't have happened the way it did in this film, because it is just unheard of. The suspens... read moree builds for the first 30 minutes, but after you know what is exactly going on, there is really nothing to look forward to, except for the disturbing nudity scenes and whether or not she will comply. Everything in this film just sort of happens, and there is really no element of surprise, which is what I was hoping for. "Compliance" is well directed and well acted, with a screenplay that works very well for what it is, but that is all!

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Critic Reviews

Tom Huddleston
February 26, 2013
Tom Huddleston, Time Out

A riveting, horrifying film, shot through with beautifully observed moments of unwelcome truth. Full Review

Michael Phillips
January 8, 2013
Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune

Compliance is one of the toughest sits of the movie year 2012. But it's an uncompromising and, in its way, honorable drama built upon a prank call that goes on and on, getting worse and worse for the ... Full Review

Rene Rodriguez
September 23, 2012
Rene Rodriguez, Miami Herald

The point of Compliance, which caused walkouts and shouting matches when it premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, is how we are programmed to do things that go against our natural instincts as long... Full Review

Bill Goodykoontz
September 6, 2012
Bill Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic

This is one insistent film, more evocative of human behavior than movies that take fewer risks ever could be. Full Review

J. R. Jones
August 31, 2012
J. R. Jones, Chicago Reader

Like a John Hughes movie hijacked by Roman Polanski, this troubling indie effort lays bare the sadomasochism of the American workplace. Full Review

Calvin Wilson
August 30, 2012
Calvin Wilson, St. Louis Post-Dispatch

A disturbing, fact-based look at the ways in which people can be bullied into bowing to the demands of authority figures. Full Review

Rafer Guzman
August 30, 2012
Rafer Guzman, Newsday

Zobel, a second-time feature filmmaker, has put together a skillful, sympathetic but unsparing re-enactment of a small-scale atrocity, and his cast plays it out with natural, understated performances. Full Review

Jim Brunzell III
August 30, 2012
Jim Brunzell III, Minneapolis Star Tribune

Zobel's masterful direction and screenplay heighten the distress of authority figures possessing unseen persuasion over naive employees, exposing a disturbing and haunting look at what some workers ar... Full Review

Roger Ebert
August 30, 2012
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

This is a well-made film, with plausible performances by all the leads, especially Ann Dowd. We feel we know people like this. Full Review

Ann Hornaday
August 24, 2012
Ann Hornaday, Washington Post

Fails its first test, which is that the audience believe every word of it. Full Review

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    • Van: I did a bad thing...
    • Marti: You don't have a customer... I want you to clean, clean, clean!
    • Sandra: I'll do... everything that you need.
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  • Fight Club- The Narrator works at Federated Motor Corporation, in the Compliance and Liability division.  Answer »
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