67
Metascore
26 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 91HitfixDrew McWeenyHitfixDrew McWeenyUsing real transcripts, and with the involvement of Dr. Philip Zimbardo, who was the psychologist who designed the project in the first place, Talbott and director Kyle Patrick Alvarez have opted to aim for something authentic and honest.
- 91The PlaylistRodrigo PerezThe PlaylistRodrigo PerezAlvarez’s clinical but deeply engrossing execution of the drama is mesmerizing in its directness.
- 83The A.V. ClubA.A. DowdThe A.V. ClubA.A. DowdA gripping dramatization, The Stanford Prison Experiment puts its audience in the same position as the head researcher, Dr. Philip Zimbardo: We watch with equal fascination and dread as a group of fresh-faced undergraduates adapt with scary speed to the roles they’re assigned.
- 80The GuardianJordan HoffmanThe GuardianJordan HoffmanDirector Kyle Patrick Alvarez deserves all the praise in the world for the way he cranks up this pressure cooker script. The Stanford Prison Experiment begins with giggles but ends in full psychological break.
- 80The Hollywood ReporterLeslie FelperinThe Hollywood ReporterLeslie FelperinFor all its flaws it’s a rich, thought-provoking film which, while challenging, is not without humor and visual pleasures, particularly in the restrained but bang-on period production design.
- 75Slant MagazineChuck BowenSlant MagazineChuck BowenThe formalism fashions effective textural shortcuts to behavioral understanding that the remarkable cast fills in with chilling, convincing finesse.
- 75New York PostSara StewartNew York PostSara StewartThe film spirals steadily downward through humanity’s worst impulses as the guards, led by Angarano’s character, explore the free rein they’re given to torment the powerless.
- 70Village VoiceAmy NicholsonVillage VoiceAmy NicholsonEven simply sticking to the facts, the film is a painful watch.
- 63Movie NationRoger MooreMovie NationRoger MooreA very good cast headed by Billy Crudup, Michael Angarano and Tye Sheridan stars in The Stanford Prison Experiment, a film as straight-forward and clinically chilling as its title.
- 60VarietyJustin ChangVarietyJustin ChangThe problem is not that this film is upsetting (it should be), but that it ultimately seems more interested, and skilled, at dispensing regular shocks than fresh insights.