Decent enough if unremarkable English-language take on Oliver
LastCaress1972
Decent enough if unremarkable English-language take on Oliver Hirschbiegels superior Das Experiment, which itself was adapted from a novel (Black Box) which…
Decent enough if unremarkable English-language take on Oliver Hirschbiegels superior Das Experiment, which itself was adapted from a novel (Black Box) which was inspired by a real experiment carried out at Stanford University in 1971. It was funded by the US Navy, and it was abandoned after only six days, when it went tits-up.
The story: a bunch of people are interviewed, and 24 are selected to participate in a social experiment: they are to be coached out to a camera-ed up detention centre, where eight will be selected to play the role of prison guards while the remaining sixteen will adopt the role of prisoners. The experiment is scheduled to last for fourteen days, at the end of which the participants will receive their pay: fourteen grand each. There are rules though, and if any of them are broken a red light will come on signalling the end of the experiment, and no one will be paid: The "prisoners" may not speak to the "guards" unless spoken to first. The "prisoners" are to be given three meals per day, but they must finish their plates. The "Prisoners" must participate in one hour of physical activity every day. If the "prisoners" break any of the rules or play up in any other way, they are to be punished "commensurably" within 30 minutes. There is to be no actual violence committed (odd one, this, as the violence erupts long before the red light eventually comes on. Perhaps those conducting the tests considered the acts "commensurable" to the acts of the prisoners. I dunno). If anyone wants out and quits, it's over for everyone. Anyway, our hero is "prisoner" Adrien Brody (King Kong, Predators) as a pacifist hoping to get some quick cash so's he can follow his latest squeeze out to India where they can "find themselves" and whatnot, and our villain is "guard" Forest Whittaker (Phonebooth, The Last King of Scotland), an initially shy, gently-demeanored man who still lives with his parents, and who befriends Brody at the interview stage, but who allows himself to be sucked utterly into his role as guard, and who is subsequently absolutely corrupted by his absolute "power". Within a matter of days.
The two leads - Oscar winners, both - are clearly slumming it, but they by no means ham it up or chew the scenery. The whole thing is done and dusted in a brisk ninety minutes and as a result there's little time whilst watching to consider the shortcomings or flaws until later (who are these people conducting this experiment, anyway? Why the oppressive, dangerous rule-set? Why don't they leap in as soon as the violence rears up? Why are apparently straight men ready to rape each other like 40-year lifers, when they've only been in there 5 days? Even if the would-be rapist is gay, can't he hold off for a bloody week before resorting to sexual assault? Why is an actor of clearly Hispanic/Mexican descent playing a white supremacist?). It's a decent enough if forgettable way to knock out an hour-and-a-half.
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★ 6 / 10
You are what you are, and few are willing to change that
StevePulaski
The Experiment is based on that very well known experiment that took place in Stanford University's basement where a mock prison was constructed and…
The Experiment is based on that very well known experiment that took place in Stanford University's basement where a mock prison was constructed and twenty-four applicants were divided up and given the vague roles of either a "guard" or a "prisoner." The motivation? A decent pay cut, around $15 a day (the film counterpart ups the pay to $1,000 a day). Guards were armed with intimidating, militaristic outfits, while the prisoners were ill-equipped with a smock and no underwear. Originally set to be a fourteen day test, the experiment ended after day six due to drastic measures taken by the inmates and guards that could've been fatal. Abuse was common, the issue of inferiority plagued the prisoners until they tried to force a rebellion, and borderline torturous acts were committed by the guards.
The film is the American remake of the German picture Das Experiment, as of now, unseen by me, but not totally written off. I'm not entirely sure if a film based on the prison experiment could effectively be made. This is one of those cases where history and facts overshadow fictionalization and dramatization. I believe a documentary would've been far more suited for this subject.
We are met with Adrien Brody, playing Travis, an Atheist softie who agrees to partake in a psychological experiment held by a local organization along with twenty-three other people. Early on, he meets Michael Barris (Whitaker) who seems to be a content and well-managed individual, but when he is given the title of a "guard" and Travis the title of a "prisoner," their true sides come out, and abandonment is quickly brought forth.
Much of what I explained above occurs in the film, but in a seemingly muted form. Nothing is ever very explicit or, for that matter, truly interesting. The cinematography is some to commend, perfectly personifying the prison as the one instigating the violence. The atmosphere is so gritty and real that we can see it takes a drastic effect on the people.
The whole event feels like Lord of the Flies come to life. Both Golding's timeless novel and Philip Zimbardo's 1971 experiment prove that when stripped of all things just and civil, humans will scram for security and the gray idea of "what is right?" before completely forgoing all the former rules, recognizing this is a new place, and furthermore, begin to act on their id, their desire to feed their consuming savagery. This is definitely taken into consideration in the film, and is the highest point this picture has to offer.
But as far as a worthy retelling of the events, it's pretty thin and underwhelming. The film was directed by Paul Scheuring, who directed some episodes of the FOX crime drama Prison Break, and that is exactly how it plays; like a Television crime drama. The performances, mainly by Adrien Brody and Forest Whitaker, and the exceptional cinematography elevate the film to a passable status, but The Experiment lacks essential character development essential to furthering ones feelings towards its prisoners, and, instead of playing like an superbly intense film, it plays like what it is; an American remake.
Starring: Adrien Brody and Forest Whitaker. Directed by: Paul Scheuring.
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I prefer the German version 'Das Experiment', which this movie is a Hollywood-adaption of. If you liked this I definitely recommend to see 'Das Experiment', because it's more raw and brutal than this version. (as always with Hollywood-adaptions unfortunately)