MovieChat Forums > Compliance (2012) Discussion > How do people feel about Van?

How do people feel about Van?


I felt bad for him but ultimately, he still violated Becky's dignity. Can he be excused on the basis of being stupid/weak/impressionable, or are his actions (albeit, not his intentions) completely unforgivable?

By the way, I'm not suggesting either he or Sandra's actions are anywhere near as heinous as 'Officer Daniels', but should they have been more inclined to question his orders?

reply

It's a bit of a tricky case for obvious reasons, but I ultimately think he deserved the five-year prison sentence that he got. There's simply no excuse at all for believing that an officer can legally tell you to rape someone.

To be fair, he immediately was remorseful and appeared to take full responsibility for his actions. He called up his friend about it right away and plead guilty to everything at the trial. But yeah, still inexcusable.

reply

Agreed. I have some (just some... like a tiny, tiny bit) of sympathy for him. He was manipulated and he was slightly drunk. But he was still responsible for his actions and he definitely could/should have said no.

I would have no sympathy for him if he didn't own up to what he did and admit his guilt. That's a small piece of redemption... I guess.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4FE9SLJ2Xoc

reply

I dont think he deserved such a hafty prison sentence...especially considering that the manager and "Becky" received compensation for being victims. This guy, was essentially a victim as well and likely suffered a traumatic experience as well. Im not saying that being fellated by a barely legal young girl isnt an absolute fantasy but maybe this guy wasnt thrilled about it being against her will. I dont know, Im conflicted...yes, an assault occurred, but not one out of malice or one that was premeditated...it was coerced out of the caller who was the actual perpetrator here...Ive read up on this on the wiki and it states that they gave the guy the plea bargain of assault (probably instead of rape) in exchange for a statement against Stewart (the caller) Sounds to me like the real police were using (in quite a similar fashion as the fake LEO) him and the situation, deliberately, to get what they want.

reply

yes, an assault occurred, but not one out of malice or one that was premeditated...

I really can't beleive we're at the point where some one can illicit sympathy for a crime by claiming to be so stupid they didn't know they committed a crime. And even then Nix knew what he was doing was wrong cause he kept throwing the apron back on the girl every time his fiance entered the office as if he was trying to conceal his behavior. He was totally taking advantage of the situation.

"Sounds to me like the real police were using (in quite a similar fashion as the fake LEO) him and the situation, deliberately, to get what they want."

In criminal cases the police arn't allowed to make legal deals with suspects. Only a prosecutor can offer a deal. Police and detectives can lie to you though and claim they are offering a deal which if your smart should know that indicates they are either being lazy by trying to get a confession out of you or don't have any real evidence so they need your confession to build a case.

I agree the prosecutors used him but I also believe Nix was completly aware that he was doing something illegal and took advantage of the situtation just by the fact that he would keep throwing the apron on the girl the moment some one was unlocking the office door.

reply

I agree with t-bone and SethOfTheFields, but the answer to this question depends on whether or not you base your opinion on the movie or the actual event.

I talked about this in another post, but my one complaint with this movie is that I feel like some of the characters were slightly misrepresented, primarily Van and Becky. I feel like the movie depicted Van to be obeying orders in abject horror, like he was being forced to do something he didn't want to do, almost as if he was being raped himself. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong, but from what I've gathered about the real life events, it sounds more like Van was taking advantage of the situation. He had a "cop" on the phone telling him that he could do anything he wanted with impunity, so he did.

In short, if we're talking about movie Van, I'd say he didn't deserve much punishment since he seemed equally victimized. If we're talking about real life Van, though, I definitely think he deserved punishment. In Van's case it was a matter of choice, not authority. It really doesn't matter if a "cop" was telling him it's okay, rape is obviously wrong and I think he knew exactly what he was doing.

But again, someone please correct me if I got the facts wrong.

reply


I talked about this in another post, but my one complaint with this movie is that I feel like some of the characters were slightly misrepresented, primarily Van and Becky. I feel like the movie depicted Van to be obeying orders in abject horror, like he was being forced to do something he didn't want to do, almost as if he was being raped himself. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong, but from what I've gathered about the real life events, it sounds more like Van was taking advantage of the situation. He had a "cop" on the phone telling him that he could do anything he wanted with impunity, so he did.


I agree the real van took advantage of the situtation situtation but thats not imortant. Even if a judge hands you a court order to rape some one its like duh no matter how stupid you are thats an illegal order and if you comply then your guilty of a crime. intentionality is not the question here. No one should be considered too stupid to violate the intimate rights of another. Thats right up their with "But I was confused I thought she really wanted it your honor." Excuse rapist often claim in court. You just can't be too stupid to think that screaming and kicking is a girls way of saying lets have rough sex.

reply

i think Bill Camp did a really good job here because i could see the disgust and incredulous in Van's face when the caller told him to do something bad but also a slight glimmer of excitement at other points barely noticeable

reply

I am glad he got arrested and went to jail. I hope he got some of Sandra's money. I do feel sort of sorry for him. He tried to get out of it at the at first and Sandra wouldn't listen to him. I am glad he pleaded guilty. I hope he went to the police after he talked to his friend/

reply

No ignorance of the law is no excuse. "But I didn't know it was illegal to sexually assault some one if ordered to by the government". It doesn't matter. Nix was taking advantage of the situation he knew what he was doing. He even backs up and puts the girls apron on immediatly when his fiance walks in the room showing his intentions to conceal his activities.

reply

He was a drunk. Alcohol impaired his judgement and made him easy to talk into things. The caller did the rest. He most likely would have had the same reaction as the other two guys had he been sober.

reply

He is a rapist and probably knew very well what he was doing and took advantage of the whole situation

reply

[deleted]