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Compliance

  • 2012
  • R
  • 1h 30m
IMDb RATING
6.4/10
40K
YOUR RATING
Dreama Walker in Compliance (2012)
When a prank caller convinces a fast food restaurant manager to interrogate an innocent young employee, no one is left unharmed.
Play trailer2:18
1 Video
71 Photos
True CrimeWorkplace DramaCrimeDramaThriller

A normal Friday service at a fast food restaurant becomes interrupted by a police officer who claims an employee stole from a customer, but something more sinister is going on.A normal Friday service at a fast food restaurant becomes interrupted by a police officer who claims an employee stole from a customer, but something more sinister is going on.A normal Friday service at a fast food restaurant becomes interrupted by a police officer who claims an employee stole from a customer, but something more sinister is going on.

  • Director
    • Craig Zobel
  • Writer
    • Craig Zobel
  • Stars
    • Ann Dowd
    • Dreama Walker
    • Pat Healy
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    6.4/10
    40K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Craig Zobel
    • Writer
      • Craig Zobel
    • Stars
      • Ann Dowd
      • Dreama Walker
      • Pat Healy
    • 319User reviews
    • 295Critic reviews
    • 68Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 7 wins & 35 nominations total

    Videos1

    Theatrical Version
    Trailer 2:18
    Theatrical Version

    Photos71

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    + 65
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    Top Cast24

    Edit
    Ann Dowd
    Ann Dowd
    • Sandra
    Dreama Walker
    Dreama Walker
    • Becky
    Pat Healy
    Pat Healy
    • Officer Daniels
    Matt Servitto
    Matt Servitto
    • Supplier
    Philip Ettinger
    Philip Ettinger
    • Kevin
    Ashlie Atkinson
    Ashlie Atkinson
    • Marti
    Nikiya Mathis
    • Connie
    Ralph Rodriguez
    Ralph Rodriguez
    • Julio
    Stephen Payne
    • Harold
    Bill Camp
    Bill Camp
    • Van
    Amelia Fowler
    Amelia Fowler
    • Brie
    John Merolla
    John Merolla
    • Customer
    James McCaffrey
    James McCaffrey
    • Detective Neals
    Desmin Borges
    Desmin Borges
    • Officer Morris
    Matt Skibiak
    • Robert Gilmour
    • (as Matthew Skibiak)
    Maren McKee
    • Daughter
    Raymond McAnally
    Raymond McAnally
    • Portland Detective
    George Asatrian
    • Convenience Store Clerk
    • Director
      • Craig Zobel
    • Writer
      • Craig Zobel
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews319

    6.440.1K
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    10

    Featured reviews

    5omendata

    Did not believe this was true until I researched it

    Unbelievable that there are such low iq folk in the world. It happened to a young girl Louise Ogborn in Mcdonalds just as described in the film.

    It makes you wonder why in a crowd of people there is not one with an IQ over 50 to drop the call and ask for the number to phone back or just ask to speak to the Area Manager who was supposedly on the phone!

    It is a slow burn, some well known actors and good performances all round and although it is not that exciting it does have some drama and it IS based on a true tale; one of many actually so the one reviewer who thinks it cannot be true should just try and use google and look up Louise Ogborn & Donna Summers & McDonalds & David Stewart. It is kinda spooky as I just watched the excellent "Cheap Thrills" last night which stars the fake Police caller Pat Healy who does give a pretty good performance in both movies and it is his manner which does give credence to the possibility that this actually happened as people are so conditioned to obey people in authority - Mind bogglingly interesting when you know it happened but the movie itself is a bit of a hard watch and is overly long so I cannot give it more than an average 5 out of 10.

    Also amazing to note that the hoax caller was not prosecuted due to lack of evidence but the store manager got 5 years in jail so the film does have a place to illustrate how mad the world is becoming and how stupid and like sheep the populace are becoming - not really an eye opener for me as nothing surprises me these days.
    6jordan2240

    Maddening

    I was scam-called by someone pretending to be a cop once. He claimed my wife had skipped jury duty. It was quite convincing for about 10 minutes, and then I realized what he was asking me to do made no sense, so I told him they'd just have to come and put my wife in jail, as he had threatened to do. At that point he became angry and revealed himself for the scammer he was.

    The point is, any one of even slightly below average intelligence would have questioned this 'cop' well before things got to where they did. Everyone involved in the incident was a complete moron. That being said, that's not on the actors and filmmakers, as they were just portraying what supposedly happened, and I think they did it well. But you will not be able to watch this without getting extremely ticked, especially at the manager.
    6adamkarz

    A testament to the failure of education in America

    This movie is simply unbearable to watch. Yes, it is well made and has great acting. But whats infuriating is that it highlights how truly stupid and uneducated most Americans are. Yes, I understand given the notion of authority, people will listen to what they are told, but these people act like they have never heard of due process of law, innocent until proved guilty, asking for an attorney to be present or even asking for a policeman's badge number when he demands strange things. Only at a fast food restaurant, staffed by the most uneducated idiots could something like this occur. Or rather, I would like to think so. It seems as if the caller banks of what the people may have seen in TV shows to get them to follow his orders, but likewise, wouldn't TV at least remind people that officers don't strip search and spank people over like 40 missing dollars? The moral of the story is to stay in school and know your rights. Or you might wind up like these morons someday.
    6zlid

    The fact that this is a true story is just insane

    After watching this movie i just couldn't believe it was based on a true story. It boggled my mind that a group of people could be this stupid. In BIG disbelief i searched the net to see if this was really true or just loosely based on a true story. I found proof that it was totally true. Every aspect of the story was true. ABC even did a story about these events with interviews with the manager and the young girl. Also showing actual footage of the events.

    The movie is not bad. The characters to a good job. But you will spend more time with your mouth open in disbelief of whats happening then actually enjoying the movie. It really is disturbing.
    9benjkramer

    Zobel Will Make You Cringe

    "Compliance" is a shockingly terrifying film. As I watched the events unfold on the screen, knowing that they were tightly based off a true story, I had difficulty maintaining my breathing. With a sinister visual style from the start, filled with tight macro shots and a simply greasy aura, as well as powerful performances from all of the cast members, most exceptionally Ann Dowd, "Compliance" transcends from its fast-food setting into something much darker, and much more haunting. The abuse of the young cashier is repulsive. "How could you do that?!" you will continually wonder, wishing the words would escape your head in the form of a scream. This film is frustrating, vexing, and equally engrossing, almost as if the story itself doesn't satisfy man's need for vicarious horror. "Compliance" forces me to question my fate in humanity and the limits of the 7 billion people with whom I share this Earth. Ultimately this film is a sickening narrative, a narrative I might as well wish I had never seen. Must you watch this? No. Is this a vital piece of cinema? No. Is "Compliance" paralyzing, appalling, thought provoking, and, most brutally, true? More than you could ever imagine.

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    Related interests

    Lee Norris and Ciara Moriarty in Zodiac (2007)
    True Crime
    Meryl Streep in The Devil Wears Prada (2006)
    Workplace Drama
    James Gandolfini, Edie Falco, Sharon Angela, Max Casella, Dan Grimaldi, Joe Perrino, Donna Pescow, Jamie-Lynn Sigler, Tony Sirico, and Michael Drayer in The Sopranos (1999)
    Crime
    Naomie Harris, Mahershala Ali, Janelle Monáe, André Holland, Herman Caheej McGloun, Edson Jean, Alex R. Hibbert, and Tanisha Cidel in Moonlight (2016)
    Drama
    Cho Yeo-jeong in Parasite (2019)
    Thriller

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The real caller, identified by police as 38-year-old prison guard David Stewart, was thought to have coerced managers of more than 70 fast food outlets in 31 U.S. states into strip-searching, humiliating, and sexually abusing customers and staff.
    • Goofs
      In the 59th minute of the movie, when Sandra enters the room the viewer can see that Becky (while standing up) wears a thin bikini although she is supposed to be completely naked under the apron.
    • Quotes

      Harold: That man's asking me to do things that ain't right. He's asking me to take her apron off and look at her... It ain't right. And it ain't policemanly.

    • Connections
      Featured in The 2013 Film Independent Spirit Awards (2013)
    • Soundtracks
      Get Dollars
      Performed by Konshens

      Written by Tark Yusef Davis

      Published by Pubadminourstage (BMI)

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    FAQ20

    • How long is Compliance?Powered by Alexa

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • September 26, 2012 (France)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official site
      • Official site
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Bất Công
    • Production companies
      • Bad Cop Bad Cop Film Productions
      • Dogfish Pictures
      • Muskat Filmed Properties
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $270,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $319,285
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $16,427
      • Aug 19, 2012
    • Gross worldwide
      • $592,116
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 1h 30m(90 min)
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Digital
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.39 : 1

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