The Experiment (2001) User Reviews (185)

A lesson for all humans

[inferno0020 · 9/10 · 1 October 2005]

Without fancy tricks and clichés, this movie tells us why riots occurs, why hatred spreads, and how to solve it.

In the beginning of this movie, the main character (prisoner no.77), an ex-journalist who hopes to take his job back, participates in a experiment in a mock prison for 2 weeks in order to record down this story, and publish it on the newspaper. Furthermore, he taunts and insults mock prison guards who are also the participants in this experiment so that he can make this story more interesting. However, things become worse and worse...

I am really surprised that this movie doesn't either glorify main characters, nor malign bad guys. Everyone has their characteristics, and their interaction is cruel but practical. We can see how the whole thing becomes worse. Don't stereotype this German story as a reflection of Nazism, because this movie is a warning for every culture which the power is overused. I am really glad that German dares to make this movie without too much clichés and fancy tricks. If you are tired of clichés in Hollywood films, this is a great movie for you.

Take it from the experts

[perica-43151 · 9/10 · 20 July 2018]

This German take on the Stanford prison experiment has additional layers of authenticity. Well made and interesting, masterfully acted and is much preferred to the Hollywood version.

Zee Germans

[frankwhat · 9/10 · 29 November 2004]

This was a surprisingly intense film that I'm so glad I watched. The concept was great and this was even before I found out it was based on a true story. But once I heard that it makes me want to look into it a lot more and see what differed from actual life and such. Supposedly the movie was pretty accurate though. It's amazing that good foreign films blow the socks off of most Hollywood garbage any day of the week. They're more realistic and the characters act more like real people would in day to day situations. The love story in this might've been the only thing that I think could've been done better since it became a little weird here and there. Other than that the suspense kept me going and the thought that this could happen to anyone is really scary to ponder. I'm pretty sure I'd like to see this made into an American version only because I'm quite positive they'd butcher it and wouldn't contain anything near the desired effect as has usually been the case in the past. It was kept simple and because of that...it worked! The acting was great all around as it really was a job well done.

Final Import:

Movies: Not a possibility here in the U.S.

DVD Purchase: Worth looking into.

Rental: A wise choice my friend!

A Fascinating and Disturbing Film

[wamweri · 6 December 2004]

Based on a real psychological experiment at Stanford University in 1971, using a group of male students, the mood of this film captures the sense of disorientation and loss of reality that was experienced by the original volunteers. Acts of humiliation present a violent and effective method for stripping individuality and asserting power over prisoners. The psychological transformations into masochistic and submissive roles are fascinating when you consider that that the only real distinguishable difference between the characters, is that by a random selection process, some are labeled 'wardens' and others are labeled 'prisoners'. The levels of violence, brutality and humiliation in the film seem extreme but in the original experiment, humiliation tactics were also extreme – prisoners were also made to wear chains round their ankles and stockings on their heads at all times! The film's conclusion is carefully constructed and appears to bear an implicit reference to the real prison riot of San Quentin (which occurred the day after the Stanford experiment was prematurely halted), in which guards and informant prisoners were tortured and murdered during the prisoners' escape attempt. This film is a sensitive study into power relationships within an altered reality and is masterfully crafted to build tension and invite the viewer to question the character's morality and ethical codes. Far more relevant and interesting than the bland reality TV shows we are plagued by these days…highly recommended!

It could be you!...

[catdcd · 10/10 · 30 June 2002]

When I went to see the movie. I thought:"Oh, well, I wouldn't be caught losing my temper there. I'd just be there to get the money and I wouldn't care about anything more". What the movie did in a brilliant way was to show you that it COULD be you. As time passed, I was looking at my watch. And that was because I had become one of the prisoners. The end of the movie would mean the end of their torture-the end of the experiment. Near the end, I caught myself thinking "Kill him!Kill him!"And I'm a calm person, you know. It's very surprising and also frightening to realise that all people are the same. When they feel threatened, they tend to make groups to protect themselves, like animals. And they can get very violent, too...

One of the Best and Most Powerful Movies of the Year

[claudio_carvalho · 10/10 · 18 June 2004]

In Germany, a group of men is invited to participate in an experience promoted by the Army. They would receive DM 4,000.00 for fourteen days performing the roles of guards and prisoners in a prison, under certain predetermined rules and monitored by a team of doctors. A journalist infiltrates in the team looking for a great matter. However, problems happen and the experience looses control, jeopardizing the integrity and the safety of the prisoners.

This movie is amazing: just released on DVD in Brazil, it is certainly one of the best films of the year. Tense, powerful, having a wonderful screenplay and outstanding direction and performances, it is another great example of how the absolute power corrupts. All the cast is magnificent, but I would like to highlight the role and the acting of Justus Von Dohnanyi, as the sadistic Berus. A must-see movie, which will certainly provoke a reaction of the viewer! It is almost impossible not to make a comparison of the situation presented in this film with the abuse and humiliation of the prisoners of Iraq recently showed on TV and newspapers. My vote is ten.

Title (Brazil): 'A Experiência' ('The Experience')

A violent, but not so believable "experiment"

[Jona-9 · 7/10 · 22 October 2002]

This German movie has just been released here in Montreal, with lots of advertisement, long after it won the prize for Best Director at last year's Montreal Film Festival. Thus, the anticipation was quite high. And the result, I feel, does not quite deliver.

The film evolves around Tarek, a young taxi driver who decides to take part in a scientific experiment after seeing an ad in a newspaper. His main incentive is money (4000 Deutch Marks), as it is for most of the men who join him, but he also sees this as an opportunity to get back in the journalism business, striking a deal to write a full article about the whole "experience". He will soon find out, however, that this will not be a walk in the park. Looking to study the effect of power on men, the scientists have Tarek and half the other "guinea pigs" thrown in jail as the other half is asked to play "guards". What first starts as a pleasant game soon erupts in chaos as the latter group begins to take its role very seriously...

Loosely based on actual events that occurred in 1971, this movie starts as a very interesting study of human behavior. How a man can react if deprived of his freedom, his most basic rights, his intimacy? And, on the other side, how a man will react if suddenly awarded total control over other men? These are scaring questions, and the results are frightening. While Tarek, intensely played by Moritz Bleibtreu (Run, Lola Run), tries to provoke his pseudo-captors to use violence in order to boost the report he intends to publish, some of the guards soon find real pleasure in inducting psychological and, inevitably, physical pain. The whole atmosphere being so well rendered, due primarily to very realistic sets and overall impressive acting, I found myself wishing more than once never to be part of such an experiment. Especially when all hell breaks loose and blood begins to spill...

I could never, however, totally immersed myself in that film because, mainly, it is not made very plausible. The scientists (some would say "masochists") do not seem very serious nor professional to me. And even though they are supposed to be in charge, they are rapidly overtaken by a flagrant lack of preparation (the guards even gain access to a room with no camera in it, thus being able to inflict whatever treatment without nobody knowing). And what about the goals of the experiment? Never clearly stated, they make the whole thing look a little cheesy, and almost presumptuous, as if the scientists were doing it only for the sake of doing it...

And if the character of Tarek is very believable and has understandable motives to which we can at least relate, if not accept, some of the other characters are poorly sketched and their relevance in the plot is highly questionable. It is the case of Tarek's one-night stand (whom he met the night before the experience started), who unexpectedly becomes a very boring subplot, or this major who shares Tarek's cell and who has issues that are never really revealed.

In the end, the premise is great, but the development lacks in consistency and plausibility. The film remains very intense and quite violent, especially at the end, which will probably leave you breathless. All in all, I would not call this entertainment, but more of an "experiment", although an uneven one. 7/10

A true experience

[TheOtherFool · 9/10 · 10 May 2004]

Now this is the kind of movie Hollywood should make!

Movie about an experiment gone all out of hand, with 20 men posing to be guards and prisoners for a period of 2 weeks. We follow the events mainly through the eyes of reporter/taxidriver Tarek, a 'prisoner', who thinks there's a good story to tell.

But things go all wrong when the guards really feel like they're God and things only get worse from that moment on. There's an amazing scene with Tarek in a 'black box', that scene is as scary as I have ever seen on screen.

Surely a movie you won't forget too soon. Terrifying, exciting, horrific, brilliant!

9/10.

Rather Predictable And Unlikely But Has It's Moments

[Theo Robertson · 6/10 · 23 August 2004]

!!!!! MILD SPOILERS !!!!!

DAS EXPERIMENT is a German psycho thriller inspired by " The Stanford Prison Experiment " from the 1970s which involved a bunch of volunteers some of whom acted as guards and some of whom acted as prisoners with the experiment being brought to a premature end because the guards were enjoying the power their authority gave them a little too much which endangered the volunteers who were prisoners

Unfortunately if you're aware of the background to Stanford you'll also be aware of how DAS EXPERIMENT is structured . Even more unfortunate is the fact that the character motivation isn't strong enough to make the movie work in a totally convincing manner . The guards make some light hearted comments to their colleague who's an Elvis impersonater so Elvis decides to give the prisoners a hard time which doesn't ring true . Perhaps the most confusing thing is how the previously mild mannered airline pilot decides to become an evil sadistic brute to the prisoners , there's no motivating incident to this change . There's another couple of niggles with the script. The hero is called Tarek Fahd which is surely a Turkish name which led me to believe there'd be some kind of racial or German war guilt subtext to the movie but after the story is ended it's obvious there is none while Dora is nothing more than a literary device there to save the day at the end

DAS EXPERIMENT isn't a dead loss however and I don't want to give the impression it's a bad movie - It's not ( Though it is spoiled by the script in some places ) and for such a small budget movie there's much tension and some impressive scenes , the best of which involves Tarek placed in a box where he begins to hallucinate about Dora due to sensory deprivation

This is the sort of European movie that Hollywood buys the rights to . Please don't remake it Mr Brukheimer . DAS EXPERIMENT may not be perfect but I never had the urge to switch it off either

Probably one of the best films ever made, an experiment itself!

[Exiled_Archangel · 10/10 · 26 March 2003]

Das Experiment is a masterpiece with flawless acting. It keeps the viewer attached to the screen throughout. It's probably the only movie ever made that has 90% of it taking place in a prison, but is still a great watch. Ok maybe Shawshank Redemption is another, but this one is at least as good as that one if not better. Violence does occur, however, people don't end up shooting everything that walks as in American films. It has a realistic side, psychological balance is really tender as screened on this movie. I found myself captured watching the movie, and I realized I was feeding a strong hatred against the guardians. Very very successful shot! I recommend it to everyone for sure, but especially those who are interested in the science of psychology, as the film is not solely ABOUT an experiment, but it turns out to BE a psychological experiment itself. I'm out of words... Go watch it, and please shoot me if you don't enjoy it. A well-deserved 10/10 from me.

Good, but too over the top

[SilencioDrive · 7/10 · 16 August 2003]

There is no way on God's green earth that this experiment would be allowed to continue as long as it did. This film was based on the Stanford prison experiment which was cancelled early because of the effects the experiment produced: prisoners became extremely depressed and the guards became incredibly sadistic. This film crossed the line too many times to be taken seriously. As it is, it's a very good and very explicit reality TV show, but the ridiculous depictions of the people running the experiment are laughable in the extreme. In the real world, there would be lawsuits from here to Judgment Day. Still, it's better than the American flick Series 7, but on the other hand, a lot of movies are better than that. Kudos to Moritz Bleibtreu for a solid performance. Worth a look, if you can overlook the shortcomings and are willing to look into the dark heart of man.

7/10

Brilliant Psychological Film

[freemantle_uk · 10/10 · 17 February 2009]

Das Experiment is a German film loosely based on the Stanford University Prison Study in the 1970s where a group of students were split into guards and prisoners which lead to minor authoritarian regime with torture being used.

The film focuses on a Tarek Fahd (Moritz Bleibtreu), a taxi driver, who see an advert for the experiment in the local newspaper. He volunteers and offers to write about it for his former employers, the Colonge Newspaper. He plans to secretly record what does on and interview other particaents. When the experiment starts Tarek is made a prisoner and he starts to rebel against the guards. He leads a mini-riot within 36 hours and the guards are forced to take drastic action. It's from that point when things start to go downhill very quickly, with the guards looking for new ways to humiliate the prisoners, and secretly torture some of them. The leading psychologist ignores what is going on and the film ends up in a violent conclusion.

The obvious theme of film were the dark side of the human mind who are willing to use violence and extreme messages to keep order and how quickly authoritarianism takes over. The film also deals with the psychological toll on the prisoners who are involved, some resist, some try not to rock the boat and some shut down completely. It was an interesting viewing experience. The acting was of a high standard, and the direction of Oliver Hirschbiegel was spot on. Hirschbiegel later goes on to direct the excellent film Downfall and I hope he has a great career in cinema. The writing was of a good standard, but it does go a little action like at the end, making an effort of trying to be dramatic and cinematic. I admit that the love story/surreal aspect was the weakest element of the film, but Das Experiment is an excellent film. It is a sign of how good the German film industry is.

Psychological experiment arises with physical abuse and cruel violence,

[ma-cortes · 6/10 · 21 September 2007]

This film based on true story, adapted from a book concerns about a diverse group of 20 male participants what are locked for a psychological experiment .They are hired for a human experiment, as prisoners and as wardens. The jail is set up in a research laboratory with hidden cameras and complete surveillance . Some of them become into prison guards and others inmates .The starring is an undercover journalist (Moritz Bleibtreu) to investigate the quirky experiment. At the beginning the events happen easily and everybody can leave at any time but the experiment turns into fascist situations when the jailers employ drastic tortures and pains including crude punishment, physical abuse, panic attack and brutal violence.

The movie contains a thoughtful plot with suspense, psychological intrigue and lots of violence . Although it is quite interesting, however, packing some tiring moments and and is very claustrophobic. The picture is rated ¨R¨, because of it displays strong scenes with attempted rape, male nudity, urination and profanities. Casting is frankly excellent with special mention for the main protagonist, Moritz Bleibtreu, he's an experienced actor with good acting in other films as ¨Elementary particles¨ and ¨Lark farm¨, and played as a secondary in ¨Munich¨, furthermore a recent filming : ¨Baader - Meinhof¨. The film was well directed by Oliver Hirschbegel in his first great success. His previous work was for TV episodes and television pictures such as ¨Todfeinde¨ with Tobias Moretti and Heino Ferch and directed to Tobias Moretti in some chapters of ¨Kommissar Rex" and "Baby Rex¨. His greatest hit smash was , of course, the magnificent¨Downfall¨ with Bruno Ganz as Hitler. He's nowadays working for Hollywood in his recent shooting ¨The invasion¨, a new version of ¨Body snatchers¨ with Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig .

Great premise but ultimately uninteresting

[emiller94 · 4/10 · 22 July 2010]

Let me preface this review by saying that I don't classify "The Experiment" as a bad film, but rather a mediocre and forgettable one that managed to make me feel uncomfortable, but failed to engage me.

The initial premise is intriguing and very engaging; a failed reporter and taxi driver volunteers for an experiment about the relationships between prisoners and their guards. In said experiment, eight of the volunteers become guards, and the remaining twelve become prisoners. Our protagonist becomes one of the prisoners.

For roughly the first two thirds of the movie, I intermittently was fascinated and uninterested in the film due to several consistent problems it has. For example, the truly intense sequences in which the guards try to maintain control over the more rowdy prisoners without the use of violence (as the people in charge are always watching via cameras) are repeatedly broken up by completely useless cutaways to 77's girlfriend, and far too many scenes of the same variety. The film is a good fifteen minutes too long.

However, the feelings of claustrophobia, tension, and eventually hopelessness that the film tries so persistently to evoke are conveyed brilliantly at times, such as a panic attack suffered by a character midway through the film. The performances, while unoriginal, serve their purpose well and don't detract from the film.

In the end, "The Experiment" is a bit of a mixed bag. It has an intriguing concept with some truly disquieting moments, but it has a huge problem with predictability and editing itself. The film would have been far more effective with a minimalist style, never leaving the prisoners and their torments, rather than cutting away periodically for a character who, in the end, could have been erased entirely.

Compelling thriller that disturbs as much as it entertains.

[Infofreak · 15 August 2003]

I was initially a bit dubious about 'Das Experiment', thinking it looked like it was going to be lame, but within half an hour I was hooked. It isn't the greatest movie ever made, the most technically dazzling, or the most insightful into the human condition, but as a thriller it is first class, and far better than any I've seen come out of Hollywood for years. The movie in inspired by an experiment conducted in America in the early 1970s. 'Das Experiment' isn't a documentary it is after all but a thriller, so the outcome is more sensational than in real life. But I think people may be shocked when they read about the real experiment, as they will see that the basic pattern of what happens in the movie happened in reality. And if people are still skeptical I just suggest they look into their heart and ask themselves honestly what they would do in a similar situation... The cast are all terrific. The only actor I recognized was the star Moritz Bleibtreu, from 'Knocking On Heaven's Door' and 'Run Lola Run', but it really is an ensemble piece and all the actors were well cast and convincing. I highly recommend this movie and just hope that Hollywood doesn't decide to remake it because I'm sure it'll be another 'Insomnia' farce all over again...

Germans do it better than Americans!

[Marco88 · 8/10 · 17 September 2006]

"The Experiment" is a kind of movie you won't forget easily. It is an amazing spiral of fear, horror and anguish.

A taxi driver decides to be an human guinea-pig for a strange experiment. Twenty men. Two groups. Guards vs. thieves. The prize is money. Every man will have money.

After two days something gets wrong. The taxi driver, who is a reporter too, wants to face the guards. So he provokes the guards: they can't use violence against the prisoners...

After more days the situation becomes more extreme. The guards want to impose their dominion on the prisoners. And now the situation is out of control...

The script isn't really original, but it's been developed in a satisfaction way. The direction is dynamic. If the Americans do movies like Germans, we'll have more interesting products.

Awesome

[meejoir · 10/10 · 8 May 2002]

This film is one of the best I have seen this year, after Behind the Sun and possibly The Devils Backbone.

I was so freaked out by the actions of the guards to the prisoners after such a short space of time. I must admit before I saw this I had very little knowledge of the Stanford Prison Experiment, to be honest I was under the impression that this was based on fact and that people did get actually die.

Having visited various websites I know that the experiment was stopped before any 'major' damage was done, however there perhaps should have been a disclaimer at the start of the film stating that this was the directors take on what would have happened. As I say though, the film intrigued me that much that I have read quite a few articles about the actual case.

*********************Possible Plot Spoilers Ahead!************

But I have to say the movie was fantastic, it had such a claustrophobic feel to it and was supremely directed. I loved the scene near the end where the remaining gaurds and prisoners are standing around, it looked like a scene from Night of the Living Dead. Also when "77" is in "the box" it was great to see those black and white shots of him trying to get out, the way his eyes lit up was so spooky.

Bleibtreu as "77" was simply brilliant.

Very, very highly recommended, catch this before it gets screwed over by a team of some Hollywood script-writers and directed by some bland no-hoper.

Banality of evil turns out to be a hoot

[imdb-5032 · 7/10 · 27 February 2005]

Intriguing exploration of man's propensity towards power, violence, sadism, you name it.

Some striking cinematography and bold editing ultimately do not make up for the flaws in the script. The sudden hamfisted introduction of the love interest is pointless and absurd.

But more importantly, by letting the situation escalate towards a spectacular showdown, the film abandons its most urgent theme, i.e. "the banality of evil". Instead, the evil in this film becomes very colorful indeed.

Eminently watchable and not as bleak as it's made out to be.

Tense and emotionally engaging

[rage_k · 9/10 · 1 September 2008]

'Das Experiment' is loosely based on the Stanford Experiment of 1971. During the original experiment, after intensive psychological profiling, background checks and health tests, 18 volunteers who were mostly students from the Stanford area, were brought to an undisclosed location and split into two groups on the flip of a coin. Nine became prisoners and nine became guards. All were perfectly normal, healthy, middle-class students in their early 20s. The experiment was supposed to last 2 weeks. It lasted 6 days, before being forcibly cancelled due to concerns over the prisoners' safety. In the movie, the same experiment is reapplied in a contemporary setting. A similar thing occurs, only the experiment is never cancelled.

'Das Experiment' is superbly directed; you find yourself feeling angry and frustrated alongside the prisoners, and you even feel yourself routing for them. It's refreshing to watch a film that not only has gravitas, but also an unrelenting emotional charge. There certainly aren't many films that can claim to be as emotionally taxing. The acting is also superb. Every character involved in the experiment, including the psychologists monitoring it, are interesting. They have depth, morals, scruples, fears, anxieties, passions; they have depth.

The film gives an interesting insight into the human psyche, and how we are all intrinsically and irrevocably linked to our primal urges to dominate those weaker than us. 'Das Experiment' is an excellent and uncompromising movie, which is well worth a watch.

No thriller, but very scary

[Enchorde · 7/10 · 31 October 2008]

Recap: A group of different men sign up for a well-paid psychological experiment. At the start they are divided into two groups, prisoners and guards. The prisoners are locked into cells in the university's basement and the guards are charged with the task to keep order and that the prisoners follow certain rules. But the power of authority is not easily handled...

Comments: No thriller no, at least not if you ever heard of the Stanford Experiment, which this movie is closely based upon. But knowing just that, that the movie is so closely based upon a real event, that makes it very scary. The implications are dreadful. That ordinary people, you and me, just given the right circumstances may turn into the worst kind, and not stop even at murder. That people may be guided and taught to be pure monsters. And that this seems to happen over and over again around the world. So, for me, there were no real surprises, no real thrill because I knew how it would go, mostly. But I didn't dare leave the TV. It was just scary, and not horror-film scary, but real scary.

As for the movie, it is very well made. There is a slow but inevitable development. Acting is good and directing too. It uses different viewpoints and cameras, as surveillance-cameras for effect. The only thing is that there were some subplots, subplots that faded away during the movie, that might just as well been cut from the beginning. Mostly I'm talking about Tarek's journalist aspiration, but there were others.

Definitely worth a watch. Not as the fun movie to entertain you but almost as an educational, a reminder that each and every one of us are responsible for our own actions, and responsible to stop abuse when we see it.

7/10

Nothing is the game.

[vlado_paunovic · 9/10 · 13 October 2005]

The line from the "order" to the chaos was made brilliantly! In my opinion, the action which is growing constantly throughout the movie is the most powerful characteristic. Let's say, idyllic and under the control scenes at the beginning of the movie becomes tense, bloody and very dynamic at the end. The last scenes exactly show the human madness and mental instability under some circumstances... The quotation from the movie "nothing is the game" could be the motto of the Das Experiment. The relationships amongst the guards and the prisoners, the guards themselves and the prisoners themselves were shown very profoundly and intelligently. Great story! Great camera! Great European movie!!!

Good plot idea ruined by bad plot developments

[baba44713 · 6/10 · 12 April 2006]

This movie was loosely based on so-called 1971. Stanford Prison Experiment where a group of average college kids were arbitrarily divided into groups of "prisoners" and "prison guards". The point of this psychological "game" was to see whether humanity and individualization would win over type-casting and group psychology. The experiment was a failure (or a success, depends on the viewpoint) because it had to be stopped after only 6 days - the "guards" were becoming overly sadistic and the "prisoners" started to develop psychological problems.

Anyways, German movie "Das Experiment" follows the same scenario but infuses it with some additional elements as well and offers a bit more drastic resolution. Unfortunately, the final result is not really impressive.

For me the movie fails on what should be its strongest point - characterization. The whole point should have been the experiment subjects' slow deterioration from average joes to sadistic guards on one side and tortured prisoners on the other side. But obviously this was too large a bite for the director to handle, because the movie starts to fall apart right about the middle of it and then proceeds to become more and more unbelievable and unrealistic by the end almost no one can take it seriously. There are so many dubious coincidences and decisions that at one point or another you will simply have to give up.

There are additional points which drag the movie further down. A whimsical love-story is introduced which is absolutely pointless and just further waters down the plot. It would have been far more interesting for the audience to see more of the characters involved in the experiment before it actually started rather than watch a development of a pretty phony-looking love story. Also, and I must say this, I seriously detest product placement in movies. There is a certain German bank logo popping up throughout the entire movie, and it REALLY messes up the whole experience. Shame on you for that.

But with all its shortcomings, this is not a bad movie. Performances are great (especially those by the lead protagonist and antagonist), camera work is impressive, the movie is never quite boring in spite of majority of it happening in the same location and so on. It's a nice time spender, but sadly nothing more.

6/10

intense

[nobbytatoes · 8/10 · 25 September 2005]

An ad is sent out by scientist for people who are willing to take part in an experiment. They have i take part in a simulated prison. The group of people are divided into guards and inmates. At first many take this as a joke and an easy way of making money, but this all turns around on them.

The guards start to take the experiment to serious; but they don't feel so. They have a set of rules they must enforce, so they feel they are doing their jobs, and they can't use violence. But they find ways around this. They start attacking inmates psychologically; humiliating, and degrading the inmates, making them strip naked, blasting them with fire extinguishers, and above all taunting them. The inmates start to feel the pressure and they start to lose it.

This is a great view on insanity, megalomania and degradation. Though the people were given roles to play, when does it reach the point of going to far. Its basic human nature that people don't like being humiliated and degraded, but all people are stubborn, and this can over-ride common sense. When one inmate starts to taunt one guard, the guard retaliates, inmate fights back, guards fights back. Megolmania can be a very blinding emotion. Once people feel it, they will fight to keep it.

Oliver Hirschbiegel directed The Experiment, and when i heard he was the director i knew this was going to be good. Oliver also directed the movie Downfall. Just like downfall, the experiment is dark, disturbing, and totally engaging. This is a twisted movie. The steely grays make a suffocating atmosphere, and the music score, or lack there of, enhances the mood too.

What I find interesting is that this actually happened in 1971. It's kinda hard to think this all happened. You wonder how did it all just get out of hand.

This was a great watch, I'm very glad i watched it. You wont be disappointed.

Indifferent to different

[iamtheman0928 · 7/10 · 6 May 2003]

I have never viewed a movie such as this until my fiance` talked me into watching it. The idea behind it alone was intriguing enough to watch, but the movie itself didn't really cut it. It's about an experiment of prisoners and guards for 10 days. It's evident what is going to take place through the duration of the movie; guards become more violent the longer they have power and the prisoners don't take them too seriously, until.... read up on psychology it'll explain a lot of it before you even watch it. I was confused with the girl, because it was unnecessary and simply put, poor filming. The movie showed her a lot without any relevance to the central theme which is irritating. I was bored after about an hour of it, and had to finish it later. Good idea, poor directing/acting/mise-en-scene. Take this idea and give it to America where effort can be put into it, and you have quite possibly a film of the year type of movie. It beats random Action movies and Chick flicks so at least it has that going for it. I gave it a 7 out of 10.

Shocking, yes; realistic, no

[Nog · 3/10 · 22 July 2005]

I posted a comment years ago in reference to the differences between the actual Stanford Prison Experiment and the film inspired by it. (Check out Dr. Zimbardo's website for details on what actually occurred during the experiment.) Now, I have finally seen the film myself. (My wife is German and she saw it in Berlin when it came out. We had several conversations by phone at the time, which prompted my original comments.) Once you consider that this film is merely inspired by, and not a depiction of the original experiment, there are some real storyline problems with the film nonetheless. First, the unrealistic time line -- almost instantly, both guards and prisoners assume their roles with vigor and the psychological effects seem instantaneous. Second, the experimenters are under-developed as characters or participants in the drama, which will later just confuse the viewers. Third, the subplot of the girlfriend doesn't work, and is totally unnecessary to the storyline (Billy Wilder cautioned filmmakers that if it doesn't advance the plot, throw it out.) Fourth, the fellow prisoners would most likely have punished Number 77 themselves for causing trouble that resulted in their own punishment at the hands of the guards -- we don't even have some verbal abuse thrown at him. Fifth, it is unrealistic to think that the experimenters would have given the guards batons after telling them "No violence." This would be sheer stupidity and criminal negligence, as we see later on. Sixth, the experimenters do not take measures (given point #5) to ensure that they can prevent or stop violence from occurring. Seventh, outside of the two characters Tarek and Berus, no one behaves in an independent manner, but slavishly follows these two dominant personalities -- possible, but unlikely, and there is no adequate explanation for this given. Eighth, for all the careful screening of the participants, are we to believe that the experimenters had no idea that Berus was psychotic, or that if he was as authoritarian as they admit in more than one scene, that he could not possibly be pathologically sick? Ninth, the experimenters are not held responsible in the final reel. What could have been an interesting film is undermined by the filmmakers' desire to manipulate audience emotions. We are supposed to feel repulsion and hatred for Berus and his weak companions, yet the thinking viewer will be more led to blame the experimenters themselves, which I don't believe is what the director intended.