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Complicity (2000) - a Film Review


Cameron Colley (Jonny Lee Miller) is a young ambitious journalist who does his best to be a thorn in the flesh of the established order because of the injustice they cause others. Colley is not the only one that can not tolerate injustice. A serial killer kills the rich and powerful people of which Colley writes. If he makes calls with instructions to the journalist, the question is how far Colley is involved in these horrendous murders.


This film, from the book by Iain Banks, is struggling with the problem that the creators did stick too close to the book. The pace at which the story is told is very varied. This may work well in a book, but it is totally inappropriate for a movie. The first hour of the film is fascinating, thrilling and has a nice tempo. We see the ambitious Colley in search of a good story. Initially, he gets in touch with the killer, but if it gets too close for comfort there's no going back. This provides the necessary excitement. Jonny Lee Miller is good as a young enthusiastic journalist, but when he gets into trouble he is less convincing. But it's his first major role, so let's not be too harsh him.


After that first hour, the pace drops and we get a quarter of an hour of things that take place in Colley's head. I suspect that this should have meant to be stifling, but these 15 minutes seem to lasts an hour. Flash-Backs should’ve made things better, but the same pace as the first hour can not be matched.


The pace will get a bit higher after this, but the last 17 minutes will not equal te first hour. We know who the murderer is, but because we do not see anything from his point of view and our hero is not really afraid of him the story fizzles out. Two minutes before the end we get the moral of the story.


All praise in this movie goes out to Keeley Hawes, a rising star in 2000. She plays her role as Colley's married girlfriend with excellence. Before this film Hawes had done a lot of virtuous costume dramas, and with this bolder role she took a completely different direction. Two years later she took it one step further with her role in 'Tipping the Velvet'.


In addition, we'll see some established actors who make this movie worthwhile to watch. Brian Cox, Bill Paterson, Alex Norton, Rachael Stirling and Samuel West are always a pleasure to watch. These are the kind of actors who can still make something good out of a bad script.


Complicity is a typical example of why a movie should not follow the book too accurately. It's a pity because it's a very interesting story that could have been a good movie.

Iain Banks nad Brian Cox on director Gavin Millar
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