Distributed by

Entertainment in Video

Cert:

Cat.no: EDV 9062

Running time: 96 minutes

Year: 1999

Pressing: 2000

Region(s): 2, PAL

Chapters: 16 plus extras

Sound: Dolby Digital 2.0 (Dolby Surround)

Languages: English

Subtitles: None

Widescreen: 1.85:1

16:9-Enhanced: Yes

Macrovision: Yes

Disc Format: DVD 5

Price: £19.99

Extras : Scene index, Trailer, Featurette

Director:

Gavin Millar (Complicity, Danny the Champion of the World, The Dwelling Place, TV: Pat and Margaret)

Producer:

Richard Jackson and Neil Dunn

Screenplay:

Bryan Elsley (based on the novel by Iain Banks)

Music:

Colin Towns

Cast:

Cameron Colley: Jonny Lee Miller
DCI McDunn: Brian Cox
Yvonne: Keeley Hawes
Josephine Boyle: Valerie Edmond
William: Jason Hetherington
Claire Gould: Rachael Stirling
Andy Gould: Paul Higgins
Wallace Byatt: Bill Paterson
DS Flavell: Andy Gray

Complicity is a British serial killer thriller which plays out the old Hollywood trick of making all the characters think that its primary one is the bad guy and they then have to attempt to prove their innocence.

Top of the billing goes to Jonny Lee Miller as investigative journalist Cameron Colley who is framed for a number of murders on those in the higher echelons of society and life after he gets phone calls from a man with a voice-effects box telling him who's going to die next. Of course Cameron's life isn't helped because everything he writes comes from the point of view of those at the bottom of the social ladder and the man ringing up turns those words into reality by adding a link between the two.

Those in Cameron's life - and who surround him throughout the film - are an old school friend Yvonne (Keeley Hawes, looking a bit like Anna Friel but with some acting ability present), with whom he does the horizontal tango even though she's trapped in a sexless marriage with self-made man William (Jason Hetherington).

The film goes back to his past as it explains why certain things are happening, but I'll say no more so as not to spoil the plot. One of Cameron's best friends, Andy Gould (Paul Higgins) turns up out the blue and we are reminded of Andy's junkie sister Claire (Rachael Stirling) who is no longer alive.

The cast is rounded out with Brian Cox putting in a superb turn as DCI McDunn while his colleague, DS Flavell (Andy Gray) isn't the sports-waffler you may be thinking of, but used to be in BBC2's Naked Video. Valerie Edmond plays Cameron's editor Josephine Boyle and his boss, Wallace Byatt, is Bill Paterson.

An anamorphic 1.85:1 ratio is very welcome, although it's not always as good as it could be with some artifacts present at times. It's mostly very pleasing though, particularly with the landscape shots of the Scottish countryside. The average bitrate is 7.43Mb/s, occasionally peaking over 9Mb/s.

The sound is ProLogic only, but for a British film it's not known whether a Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack was created. Either way, when it does need to be fired up, for an explosion in one scene and police helicopters in another, an effective soundstage is created.

Extras :

Chapters :

Languages and Subtitles :

And there's more... :

Both of these you'll watch one and that's it, but don't see the featurette until AFTER you've watched the film as it contains many plot spoilers.

Menu :

Overall, I wouldn't recommend a purchase but definitely a rental as there aren't enough extras, plus the lacking of a Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack, to warrant that. Nor is it the sort of film anyone will particularly want to sit through more than once, although Keeley Hawes certainly isn't the modest type and there are a few choice gory moments.

FILM CONTENT PICTURE QUALITY SOUND QUALITY EXTRAS
OVERALL

Review copyright © Dominic Robinson, 2000.