Compliance - Movie Review by Chris Stuckmann

Chris Stuckmann reviews Compliance, starring Ann Dowd, Dreama Walker, Pat Healy and Bill Camp. Directed by Craig Zobel.

[JenzJoe]

This movie reminded me how people are so afraid of authority that they disengage common sense to ensure they, themselves, won't be persecuted. Age old bullshit. Yeah, this movie made me mad. Strip search someone over some money? What about calling her family, the real police to physically show up? How about getting a badge number then calling the station. This movie made me mad, cause people feared for themselves and didn't protect the little guy.

[torils]

This movie disturbed me to the core! I was literally on the edge of my seat the entire movie!! I couldn't believe how far this went!

[danielnieto]

The manager in the real life interview said how great this guy was and how he could fool anyone. The maintenance man literally found out almost instantly.

[ChrisStuckmann]

Too kind! Thank you very much, glad to entertain and be of help =)

[voguer]

I just watched this film and it fucked me up. I'm studying for a psychology degree and we discussed in class how far you can drive people when you convincingly and consistently play an authority role. This movie is realistic and you have no idea what people can do under certain circumstances. I am shocked.

[brittanyjackson]

the most disturbing thing about this mivie is that aside from some minor tweaks like appearance of characters it sticks right up close to the true events if this situation.

did noboby but the janitor have any brains in that situation?
Rule of thumb if that ever happens to you "accidently" hang up your phone and then dail 911.
if its really the police you can get back in touch with whomever it was on the phone or file a report if its a fake.

[andreias]

the movie is very good because it shows how people are submissive.
they don't have independent thinking, they let people think for them
they are dominated by those who do.

[NyRSoxFan]

Only people working at a fast food restaurant would actually go along with what some "police officer" is telling them to do over the phone. I don't care how convincing the guy sounds. If you know the law and you know your rights, there's no way you would comply with anything.

[swallowedinthesea]

Ogborn and Summers sued Mcdonald's. Initially the jury awarded Ogborn $5 million in punitive damages and $1.1 million in compensatory damages and expenses, but Mcdonald's appealed to the Kentucky Supreme Court. During pending, she chose to settle for $1.1 million.


Summers was initially awarded $1 million in punitive damages and $100, 000 in compensatory damages until it was reduced to $400, 000. She broke off her engagement to Nix who, after pleading guilty to sexual abuse, sexual misconduct and unlawful imprisonment, received a five-year prison sentence.



David R. Stewart, a married man with five children, was then arrested. During his questioning by police, Stewart insisted he never had bought a phone card, but detectives found one in his home that had been used to call nine restaurants in the past year—including a call to a Burger King in Idaho Falls, Idaho on the same day when that restaurant's manager was reportedly duped by a scam call. Police also found in Stewart's home dozens of applications for police department jobs, hundreds of police magazines, as well as police-style uniforms, guns, and holsters. This was thought to indicate that the suspect had fantasized about being a police officer.

Stewart was extradited to Kentucky to be tried on charges of impersonating a police officer and solicitation of sodomy. If convicted, Stewart faced up to 15 years in prison. On 31 October 2006, he was acquitted of all charges. Both the defense and the prosecution attorneys stated that a lack of direct evidence may have affected the jury's decision, which found him not guilty. He remained a suspect in similar cases throughout the United States. Police stated later that since Stewart's arrest the scam calls had stopped.

[Delicieuxable]

That is why it's so important for us as humans to know our rights. You are innocent until proven guilty, Although a citizen arrest is possible, you are only to detain the person and wait until the police arrive. There was no logical thought in this movie. It was a real thing so in real life as well. Think! How is it possible for an officer to be simultaneously conducting an investigation while on the phone with you for hours. He does not give his first name, what precinct he is calling from none of that information. This also goes to show that persons in lower ranking jobs will do anything to assert their authority over someone they consider lower than them. Plus, how could it have been possible for this girl to have stolen money from a woman at the front on the counter. Plus how much money does one walk around within their wallet? All that over 2/3 dollars at most. Human beings are just ridiculous. My cat has more brains than all these individuals. Thank God for that gentleman, who had some sense to speak up and say something was off. Who knows how much longer this could have gone on for?

[LibreKuba]

WTF! That manager woman was rewarded $400 000 as punitive award after she sued McD.

[Mattteus]

This movie reminded me of the Milgram's obedience experiment.

[everythingjay]

I happen to be browsing YouTube and scrolled on the actual event that has taken place at McDonalds. The fucked up thing about it is if the manager felt so uncomfortable, she would have called the police or the man who was over her in the first place. And why the fuck would you let your fiancé watch a half naked girl. Some things just weren't adding up. Like for him to tell her, she need a male to watch the young lady for the purposes of surveillance. What the Hell! And then he goes in further to suggest it had to do with her brother and illegal activity. Lady its not your job to do no fucking strip search, and he wouldn't have disclosed that information over the phone. And for stealing money they would've just cut her loose and whatever happen to the customer,   they'd probably give her something to make up for lost. I understand that you can't always say what you'd do in a situation as such, but it was clear on her fiancés behalf he knew damn well no fucking police would've told him to have a suspect to perform any sexual act on him unless he wanted to loose his job. Yeah, he was drunk be he had sense enough to know damn well to not put his hands on this young lady. Sorry about the rant , but this honestly blew me.

[Tebay]

This film is amazing. It seriously needs to be seen by a lot of people.

[vpfan]

Fucking Netflix files this under "Workplace Movies".

[SiamHomeSource]

Thanks for not spoiling the movies in all your reviews, you do a great job of never spoiling them

[rukukitsune]

my college Psychology class we learned this and was like WHY? There was another case where a person was told to push a button that shocked a person that couldnt be seen in the other room and the voltage was increased each time to the point where it could kill a person, or person with a pace maker no one was shocked but its the same theory as Compliance, we dont want to be wrong or seem displeasing so we do what we are told like puppets even though we KNOW that its wrong we follow authority

[MyBottletree]

I've been in very stressful situations in my life and I know how I react when I panick, but I just can't immagine how something like this is even possible. Even if they were dumb enough to think that it was an actual police officer, why wouldn't they only pretend to do those horrible things? I mean, oral sex? Really? How the fuck could this be a legitimate order?

I don't get it

[Jillociraptor.]

I don’t know what the manager (Summers) in real life was like but in the film, Sandra had little control over anything. A vendor chews her out, employees don’t listen to her and talk about her behind her back. I think the “officer” gave her a chance to be somewhat “in charge” for once. That’s what I picked up right away from her character. Not trying to stick up for the manager or her POS real-life counterpart but almost immediately you know she is not a figure of authority but desperately wants to be.

[damoaraimo]

I've worked with people who display blind compliance despite knowing how it affects others. If people can blame an unjust action on someone else, whilst participating in the event, they'll do it.


This happens all the time in life. Why are people so shocked? "I'm only following orders". The greatest excuse for power hungry sadists.