Review of The Experiment (2010) by Julie S — 03 Sep 2010

"Everyone has a breaking point".

26 men are chosen to participate in the roles of guards and prisoners in a psychological study that ultimately spirals out of control.

REVIEW.

"The Experiment" is a very disturbing film because it purports to show the true nature of humans. A scientist gets together a bunch of men, all strangers, all attracted to the experiment by the $1000 a day payment. All these men had to do was to get through two weeks in a prison environment, or else they would not get paid.

At the onset, a few were selected to play roles of guards, while the rest became the prisoners. Within the next day, a power play among guards and prisoners ensues which then escalates into an uncontrollable "Lord of the Flies" scenario, a battle pitting the common good against individual needs.

The central characters were well essayed by the Oscar winner lead actors. Adrien Brody plays the most outspoken prisoner, Travis, in an effectively gritty manner. Forrest Whitaker plays the shy and lonely Barris, who discovers the repressed Idi Amin within him as he played guard. The rest of the cast were also okay, but were mostly playing caricatures.

I found out that this film was released direct to DVD, which was unusual for a film that features an Oscar winning cast. Maybe the producers were thinking that not many can sit through the difficult scenarios this film shows, and they may be right. I personally cannot believe that this experiment can turn out in this violent way in real life so quickly, but then again, we also know what people can do when desperately strapped for money. It would also be interesting to watch the original 2001 German movie about this same experiment.