Dreadful

dfranzen70

If it weren't based on a true story, Compliance would leave the viewer utterly baffled and confused at how completely clueless and simple minded some people in authority can be. Critics would slam the movie for its lack of plausibility and incoherence. It is only the veracity of the plot that prevents us from having to suspend disbelief, because it truly happened.

This is the famed recent story of a fast-food manager who, upon receiving a call from a policeman, is asked to detain and search an employee suspected of stealing money from a customer. The shame doesn't end with a simple inspection of pockets and purse; there is a strip search and more. All the while, the restaurant is packed with people and few staff. It's a stressful situation.

Imagine you're Sandra (Ann Dowd), the manager. A cop's on the phone. You believe him when he says your young employee Becky (Dreama Walker) is thought to be a thief and that the policeman has the victim and is on his way and just needs Sandra to keep Becky there. Oh, and look for the money. Would you follow the orders given by this voice? You might. You're already in trouble because someone left the freezer open, spoiling meat and other supplies; you know the staff doesn't like you too much; you know that Becky herself, being young enough to be your daughter, isn't a big fan of yours. So you readily accept the man's word and detain your miscreant.

To agree, I think we all would. But then things get a little weird. Would you consent to strip searching said employee? If you were the young lady, would you allow it to happen? What if it escalated? Would you, as manager, stop and think that maybe things aren't as they appear? Would you question anything?

Apparently Sandra wouldn't. And knowing that this was a true story - in fact, several true stories - forced me to accept that there are people who accept things so readily. Sandra never stops to consider the strangeness of a policeman asking staff to do a strip search, never really questions why it can't wait until the police arrive (they're constantly on their way). Why? Probably a fear of losing her job (she's told the district manager is on the other line, plus the freezer incident), a fear of losing control of the restaurant (it's packed), a fear of seeming inept.

"Sandra, I didn't steal anything, you know I wouldn't!" "I know, honey, but we have to do what the disembodied voice says..." Paraphrasing is fun.

At any rate, since this did happen in real life, I had to try to see beyond how obscenely dumb people behaved in the movie and allow the actors and director to sell the plot. They failed. In other words, while I had to believe that the scenario would play out in real life, the players couldn't convince me that it could play out in the same way in their own movie. See, just because something happens in real life doesn't mean it is automatically plausible; sometimes the implausible can happen, and sometimes the plausible will not. But the makers of this movie felt the based-on-a-true-story was more than enough. And normally, it would be, with a competent cast and crew, but here a little extra effort was necessary to show that this plot was not only plausible but likely, and that effort is missing throughout the movie - particularly from Dowd's Sandra, around him the movie essentially revolves. (Other characters in the movie do, at times, express concern and suspicion, but Sandra is oblivious to their remarks.)

The result is a bullheaded, laughable mess with little going for it. It's almost painful to watch - and, in fact, contains scenes that will make you wince with embarrassment on the part of the actors. It's like watching an ant try to climb a mountain of sand. With a watermelon strapped to its back. The actions of the various characters would make sense over a short period of time, but the more time passes, the less understandable their actions become. And that's the undoing of the entire greasy mess. You probably won't feel entertained or informed after watching this film, except in that you shouldn't make assumptions about who's on the other end of the telephone line. Compliance is a slime-riddled, exploitative movie with no credibility.

score 1/10

dfranzen70 17 June 2013

Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw2815041/