Compliance

R

Released Aug 17, 2012

1h 30m

Mystery & Thriller

List

89%

144 Reviews

Tomatometer

60%

10,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

A fast-food worker (Dreama Walker) who's accused of theft is put through the wringer as her boss (Ann Dowd), at the direction of a phone caller who says he's a cop, subjects her to increasingly harsh forms of interrogation.

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Critics Consensus

Anchored by smart, sensitive direction and strong performances, Complicance is a ripped-from-the-headlines thriller that's equal parts gripping and disturbing.

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Tina A

Smut disguised as a high brow movie.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

02/26/24

Full Review

Jeremy H

Intense, disturbing & heartbreaking

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/14/24

Full Review

Jeff M

This is without a doubt one of the most disturbing movies I have ever seen - I can't remember having a reaction quite like the one I had after watching it. I felt the need to take a shower, smoke a cigarette, and have a drink. I felt as though I just witnessed the worst of inhumanity. And the fact that it's not only inspired by a true story, but there have been multiple other similar incidents across the nation, well, it just makes the mind reel. At a mere 90 minutes, it sometimes felt like a marathon to sit through, and I prayed that it was almost finished. And yet I couldn't believe what I was seeing, and my heart was palpitating both out of intensity and heartbreak. This is challenging, thought-provoking, conversation-inducing cinema, and I wish more American filmmakers were willing to take chances with material like this. Performances across the board are stellar, and the fact that most of the actors are unknown to most audiences only adds to the feeling of authenticity. I suppose one could call this a psychological thriller, but it doesn't quite seem to do it justice. It must be seen to be believed, and I'm glad that I'll never have to sit through it again.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

01/22/24

Full Review

Nick G

This movie made me wanna jump off a bridge it's legitimately the most infuriating 2 hours of my life. I made an account just to make this review don't watch this movie please

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

01/22/24

Full Review

Chet P

Passed the time. Situation seemed too unbelievable to even be disturbed by it.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

11/02/23

Full Review

Steve D

Walker is great but it is too disturbing for my taste.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

10/18/23

Full Review

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Craig Zobel

Director

Ann Dowd

Sandra

Dreama Walker

Becky

Pat Healy

Officer Daniels

Bill Camp

Van

Philip Ettinger

Kevin

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Sara Michelle Fetters

MovieFreak.com

It took me places I did not want to go, got me in a mindset so infuriating I was angry at myself for thinking the thoughts I was.

Rated: 3.5/4

Mar 2, 2020

Full Review

Deborah Ross

The Spectator

It's not an easy watch, which is kind of the point, and I'm not even sure what genre it is. Psychological horror? Thriller? But it will haunt and resonate.

Sep 4, 2018

Full Review

Steve Erickson

Village Voice

Compliance's underlying humanism and political conscience lift it beyond being a macho endurance test.

Feb 22, 2018

Full Review

Jordan M. Smith

IONCINEMA.com

Rife with the downfalls of human subservience, Compliance is a luminous, pulsating Milgram experiment come to life, and you won't be able to turn your gaze from the results.

Nov 16, 2020

Full Review

David Harris

Spectrum Culture

Writer-director Craig Zobel puts both his characters and his audience through 90 minutes of squirmy hell.

Rated: 2.4/5

Nov 11, 2019

Full Review

Mattie Lucas

From the Front Row

A complex and unnerving psychological thriller that is unmistakably the work of a promising and daring new talent.

Rated: 3.5/4

Aug 6, 2019

Full Review

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Synopsis

A fast-food worker (Dreama Walker) who's accused of theft is put through the wringer as her boss (Ann Dowd), at the direction of a phone caller who says he's a cop, subjects her to increasingly harsh forms of interrogation.

Director: Craig Zobel
Screenwriter: Craig Zobel
Distributor: Magnolia Pictures
Production Co: Dogfish Pictures, Muskat Filmed Properties
Rating: R (Sexual Content/Nudity|Language)
Genre: Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Aug 17, 2012, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 10, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $311.9K
Runtime: 1h 30m

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