COMPLIANCE

By: Senor Woo

I have said it once, and I will say it again; Truth is always stranger than fiction. People can write stories, movies, and screenplays, all based on what they think is terrifying and disturbing, but at the end of the day, a truly troubled and psychopathic mind and soul will always chill us to the core. Most serial killers start out small. They dabble in being a peeping Tom, or making obscene phone calls to unsuspecting victims. Eventually, they grow tired of these ‘games’ and move on to bigger and better things, i.e. rape, sexual assault, torture, and murder. Most serial killers fly under the radar. They are typically Caucasian males, married with children, and lead a normal life with a nine to five job.  They often do as little as possible to draw attention to themselves, or make even a small splash in their social pond. David R. Stewart fits this profile to a ‘T’. Never heard of him? Well, neither had I until I watched COMPLIANCE. Let me paint you a picture of a man who I believe was on the verge of a calculated killing spree that would have made the BTK killer look like a dumb little baby.

I am an avid fan of true crime.  How this story evaded me for so long is a mystery. After watching the movie, I immediately did my research on the crime in question.  The man was a master manipulator; he had delusions of being in law enforcement, and was only armed with an AT&T calling card and a cordless phone. From 1992-2004, David R. Stewart terrorized a number of fast food restaurants by calling the manager claiming to be a police detective. He would give a detailed description of one of the female employees and state that they were under investigation for theft of a customer’s wallet/purse. The manager would then be instructed to take the employee into the back room and hold her there until he could arrive to bring her into the station. But in the mean time, the caller instructs the manager to conduct a strip search of the young employee. The demands would often get more obscure, such as conducting a cavity search on the employee, make her do jumping jacks naked, and even conduct oral sex on a male observer (actually the manager’s fiancé) that the ‘detective’ appointed to act as security for the employee. How he gets all these people to go along with this clearly insane plan is beyond me.   

COMPLIANCE is a scene-by-scene re creation of one of these calls that took place at a McDonald’s in 2004. The movie is based on police reports and actual security tape footage from the back office where this girl was sexually tormented and spends most of her time only wearing a fast food apron. Apparently the only differences are the girl in the movie is way hotter and doesn’t cry uncontrollably the whole time like the girl did in real life. The movie intends to make you feel as uncomfortable as possible, and it succeeds very well. Stylized and gritty, the flick gives you that “I need to take a shower” feel. The camera doesn’t shy away from the torment at hand, don’t you worry about that. The reason I chose this movie was for the sheer psychological manipulation and terror this guy was able unleash over the phone! In almost every case, he was able to have the victims do exactly what he wanted for his own sick amusement. The only complaint I do have about the movie is that the actress who plays the tormented girl, is sometimes a little too calm when all the naughty business is going down, but whatever, I quickly overlooked it and went along for the ride.

This case was the one that eventually got David Stewart caught after they traced his calling cards. The police suspect that he was responsible for nearly 70 of these calls. Unfortunately for the coppers, he was acquitted of all charges due to lack of evidence and was set free. Although there hasn’t been any more reported calls, this crazy fuck is roaming the streets, and most likely killing prostitutes and hiding their bodies in his crawl space. Sleep tight kids!

Blake and Jimmy’s Extreme-O-Gauge!

Realistic Gore: 0 out of 5, not that kind of movie

Rape: 4 out of 5 mental and physical rapeyness

Animal Death: 0 out of 0

Necrophilia: 0 out of 0

Torture:  5 out of 5, this girl is going to need some counseling

Overall Movie: 5 out of 5, great movie, highly recommended!