Written & Directed By: Craig Zobel
Cinematography By: Adam Stone
Editor: Jane Rizzo
Cast: Ann Dowd, Dreama Walker, Pat Healy, Ashlie Atkinson, Bill Camp, Matt Servitto
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 message displayed before the film starts refers to the Milgram experiment, and says that the story, inspired by real events, is so shocking it is hard to believe, but that nothing was exaggerated
I am passionately writing about this film. So while there are no real spoilers. I might reveal certain aspects of the film that might spoil or tip off certain plot points and scenes. That might have an impact on the overall experience.
The film is tight, cut and dry. No extra no fat no artistic indulgence. The film doesn’t seem to have an agenda. Just presenting it’s story based on true life events. Unfortunately not one incident but a string of them. It feels almost too real like a documentary though is more a docudrama
One has to admit the experience leaves it to be uneasy even when you know what is going to happen.
The film scarily makes you a witness to a slow torture and as the camera is unflinching. It’s like you are an accomplice to what is happening. Leaving us to be on edge and upset mostly the whole time.
Some could call this a morality movie. In a way it’s more a horror movie as it is obviously a tragedy, but we have to watch as the situation seems to get worse. It’s far too easy to call the film exploitive. It looks that way but isn’t it’s more subtle. There are plenty of moments and scenes where it could have easily gone that route and just become trashy and be more sexual with nudity. This film has more nuance than that. Instead it makes you fear the nudity and sexual innuendo. So that anytime it gets near, you feel disgusted.
As you watch the film you get frustrated. as the demands of the fake cop get more and more ridiculous, demeaning and cruel. Why no one realizes something isn’t right is astounding. Only a few do, but they have little peer in the situation.
The film makes the audience wonder. Do we blindly believe whatever authorities tell us Unquestioned? Does it take only a little bit of authority for you to have a reason to follow through on dark desires or suggestions.
The film plants an idea early on that maybe Ann Dowd’s character let’s it go on more out of a sick part of jealousy and vindication.
This is definitely a film you will have a conversation afterwards over.
The cast is top notch as they all feel totally real and make decisions right and wrong but you know the reasons or at least see the reasoning behind their acts.
Pat Healy gets my vote for villain of the year. He is scary, repellent as his character always thinks on his feet and in a way gets people to slowly do his bidding. Which is torture this innocent girl for not real reason other then apparently he gets his kicks. As he never does anything himself other then order and suggest. The reveal about him at the end is the most shocking.
Ann Dowd’s Character is right behind him as a sad sack who is jealous of this worker and the fact she tries to fit in with her employees but never truly does and is stuck and in this situation is given power that others must follow and at the same time allows her to get a kind of revenge on who she see’s as a rival or enemy. Due mainly to more options and a brighter future.
Nearly all of the events in this movie are true. The movie centers on the incident in April 9th 2004, a call was made to a McDonald's in Mount Washington, Kentucky; In the real life incident, the girl's name was Louise Ogborn and she worked at McDonald's. Her assistant managers name was Donna Summers and the caller on the other line was 'Officer Scott' and the call had originated from a pay-phone in Panama City, Florida. The card he had used was a AT&T phone card that he had bought at Wal-Mart.
The same caller from the film was believed by cops to be 38-year-old prison warder David Stewart. Who is thought to have tricked managers of more than 70 fast food outlets in 31 US states into strip-searching, humiliating and sexually abusing customers and staff.
By the end the film offers no answers for anyone or anything.
Grade: A
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