Compliance

Inspired by a true story, Craig Zobel's psychological thriller set in a fast-food chicken restaurant in Ohio centers on a telephone call received by Sandra (Ann Dowd), the establishment's less-than-efficient manager. The caller, who identifies himself as Officer Daniels (Pat Healy), inquires if someone named Becky is employed at the restaurant. Sandra affirms that Becky (Dreama Walker) is indeed an employee, at which point Daniels tells Sandra about a complaint filed at the police station claiming that Becky stole money from a customer's purse. Daniels instructs Sandra to take Becky to a private area in order to search her clothing for the stolen item. Although the cop's instructions become increasingly invasive and strange, Sandra continues to follow them. Dowd and Walker give convincing performances as women who find themselves in an utterly absurd and thoroughly uncomfortable situation, and Zobel effectively utilizes the claustrophobic setting. Ultimately, however, Compliance makes a fatal mistake of revealing its plot twist too early, so the women wind up coming across as gullible and foolish, which dilutes the film's emotional effectiveness. Optional. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include an interview with director Craig Zobel (10 min.), an AXS-TV production featurette (4 min.), a behind-the-scenes featurette (2 min.), and trailers. Bottom line: a decent extras package for a flawed film.] (P. Hall)