David Oyelowo’s MI5/Guantanamo Bay thriller Complicit, which centers on the moral dilemmas posed by the war on terror, as an MI5 agent (played by Oyelowo) becomes involved in the torture of a suspected terrorist to prevent an attack in the UK, debuted on Channel 4 (in the UK) a year ago.

I learned this morning that the Showtime network (here in the USA) picked up the film and is currently running it, for those of you with the cable TV channel. According to Showtime, it will next air next week Friday, May 30, at 4:10 PM ET/PT on The Movie Channel (a Showtime subsidiary). So set your DVRs if you’re interested in seeing it, and if you won’t be home during that hour (as many of us likely won’t be, since we’ll likely be away at our various places of work).

I have yet to see it myself, but I plan to check it out eventually. It’s not available on DVD or Blu-ray yet however, so those without Showtime/TMC, will have to wait a bit longer to see it. 

The full synopsis for the 99-minute drama/thriller reads:

In fighting the War on Terror is torture ever justified? David Oyelowo (Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Red Tail, The Help) stars in a compelling new single drama from acclaimed writer Guy Hibbert (Blood and Oil, Five Minutes of Heaven, Omagh) that explores the murky moral compromises that underpin the hidden intelligence war. Complicit follows the story of Edward (Oyelowo) an MI5 officer who, desperate to foil another 7/7 style atrocity, wrestles with his own conscience and moral code when he finally comes face to face with British terror suspect Waleed (Arsher Ali – Four Lions, Beaver Falls). Convinced that Waleed is plotting an attack, Edward tears up the rule book and makes an irrevocable decision. Informed by extensive research, Hibbert’s film is a penetrating insight into the dangerous world of MI5 and counter terrorism.

While we wait for next Friday’s airing, watch the 8-minute long video interview below, in which Oyelowo, as well as key cast and crew, talk about the project, including some of the racial aspects of it; apparently, the role wasn’t written for a black man, but the producers decided to make the lead character a black man, seemingly to introduce a new layer of complexity to the story, and interaction between characters.

Also, scattered within the interviews, you’ll find clips from the film. 

First watch the trailer immediately below:

And here’s the behind-the-scenes piece: