Complicity

In Japan, this film is given the title Psycho 2001. The cover of the DVD shows a writhing figure in a bloody bathtub, apparently boiling in a stew of guts and organs after ritual disembowelment.

No such scene exists in the film. This title and cover seem to be one more chapter in the harsh treatment this film has suffered at the hands of distributors.

And it is undeserved treatment. This is a classy thriller, Johnny Lee Millar giving his trademark performance in moral ambiguity as a clapped-out journalist looking to break a huge scoop on government conspiracy. As he digs deeper, he finds the story becoming less about the wicked ways of the world, and more about the murky secrets of his own past.

The Highland locations are well used in sweeping helicopter shots, the pacing swift as journo Cameron moves through a sea of bodies, a mysterious Deep Throat figure keeping him one step behind the bad guy(s). Brian Cox is as solid as ever, rehearsing his bad-ass law enforcer routine before Bourne. Millar stands up to a demanding role, especially in the final third when all his chickens come home to roost, and regret, anguish, atonement, cynicism and hope are all required to be shown.

Complicity appears to have been overlooked by most theatres, distributors, award-givers and reviewers. A shame really, much worse British films have travelled abroad in recent years. Complicity is fraught, character-driven, quirky, kinky and pays off at the end. Well worth checking out.