The Experiment

R

2010

1 hr. 36 min.

Mystery & Thriller

Drama

List

Reviews

49%

2,500+ Ratings

Audience Score

Unemployed Travis (Adrien Brody) enrolls in a psychological role-playing experiment, where participants assume the identities of inmates and prison guards in an empty jail, with the promise of a $1,000-a-day reward. Another participant, Barris (Forest Whitaker), embraces his correctional officer role with a vengeance, and before long, the prisoners find themselves at the mercy of their keepers. All the test subjects discover how easily violence and cruelty can manifest itself in human behavior.

Read More

Read Less

Watch on Fandango at Home

Premiered Jul 04

Buy Now

Fandango at Home

Prime Video

Apple TV

Rent The Experiment on Fandango at Home, Prime Video, Apple TV, or buy it on Fandango at Home, Prime Video, Apple TV.

Leaburn O

Fairly voyeuristic and ridiculous. Not very sensible but entertaining enough and fairly short. Good time filler.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

07/03/23

Full Review

carlos t

Minha opinião: Um filme que fala de #comportamentohumano Como onde coloca um grupo de homens e dividi-los em prisioneiros e guardas. Onde você pega pessoas totalmente introvertidas e se tornar no pior do ser humano. Pegar os que já tem propicio a brutalidade e pontencializar isso. Pegar aquele que busca a paz, um mundo zen e se colocar como um dos lideres com sua rebeldia e insitar os outros. Humanos perdendo sua humanidade. Até que ponto conseguimos controlar nossos instintos. E como é dar o poder ao ser humano pode mudar. Um filme de grande reflexão em relação ao comportamento humano. Um filme que serve para cursos de comportamento humano. Uma ótima atuação Adrien, Forest e os outros. Um filme inteligente e bem feito. Parabéns. Roteiro: Muito bem feito Vale apena assistir? Com certeza Nota: 8,5

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

Gianmarco R

This film is very deep and tries to give a very nice message, even if it does it too quickly and therefore it does not succeed fully. Despite everything, the film entertains and manages to make you feel sorry for the prisoners and hate for the guards.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

06/16/21

Full Review

sarah s

Acting on point. Immediate jump into the plot and decent pacing. Forrest Whittaker (Barris) is terrifying but…the transition of power from "Officer Chase" didn't make any sense and happened without explanation, like halfway through filming they realised Chase wasn't badass enough when he was instigating violence and wrote it differently (lol.) Commentary through action on the prison system, psychology of humans, the mental decline in solitary confinement and also how short the time is before humans descend into a dog-eat-dog world when left to their own moral compass and no accountability. All of is done rather shallowly but well enough that it resonates via the story, however doesn't go deep into these things when they're raised individually. It does suit the pace and the genre so it's still effective. Would have liked a more satisfying ending as it's like an arthouse, weird ending where you walk out of the cinema and are supposed to think about your life while scratching your head.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

dustin d

The Experiment is reminiscent of the Stanford prison experiment, which in a sense lends it some believability--something like this has happened before--but also makes it harder to suspend disbelief. What IRB would approve this study given the infamy of the 1971 one? The Experiment starts in some halcyon past in which the anti-war movement was the cause of the left, and anti-war protestors carrying signs depicting the American flag reading: "Support our troops! Bring them home!" were seen as unpatriotic, rather than as right-wing reactionaries. Adrien Brody, an easy going peace-nick, and Forest Whitaker, a lovable, simple man with a domineering mother, are recruited for the study to be an inmate and guard, respectively. The cinematography is quite good. The movie is shot with style and invention, without being show-offy. The characters are believable, and have understandable arcs. The flaws in the film have to do with it being too blunt, perhaps. The story escalates too quickly, and while it "shows" rather than "tells" its character developments, this is done with no subtlety. (For example, after figuratively growing a pair of balls, Whitaker's character is shown to get an erection.) The end result is something that seems simultaneously well-made and amateurish.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

В начале фильма типичное нелепое знакомство. Бесит переигрывание чёрного актера играющего главного надзорщика. Но фильм очень интригующий и снят мотивам реального эксперимента.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/26/23

Full Review

Read all reviews

Post a rating

Paul Scheuring

Director

Adrien Brody

Travis

Forest Whitaker

Barris

Cam Gigandet

Chase

Travis Fimmel

Helweg

Clifton Collins Jr.

Nix

Show Less Cast & Crew

Show More Cast & Crew

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

View more photos

Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

The mounting tension does manage to involve the viewer until the scattershot conclusion

Rated: 2.5/4

Aug 3, 2023

Full Review

David Nusair

Reel Film Reviews

It's finally impossible not to wonder just what the point of all this is supposed to be...

Rated: 2/4

Sep 28, 2011

Full Review

Victoria Luxford

The National (UAE)

an average, by-the-numbers movie lifted by two brilliant leads.

Rated: 3/5

Sep 1, 2011

Full Review

Brian Orndorf

BrianOrndorf.com

Scheuring does summon the energy to end the picture with a The More You Know closer, but it's a laughable period at the end of a baffling sentence...the feature misses a lasting significance by a country mile.

Rated: D+

Sep 14, 2010

Full Review

Read all reviews

Synopsis

Unemployed Travis (Adrien Brody) enrolls in a psychological role-playing experiment, where participants assume the identities of inmates and prison guards in an empty jail, with the promise of a $1,000-a-day reward. Another participant, Barris (Forest Whitaker), embraces his correctional officer role with a vengeance, and before long, the prisoners find themselves at the mercy of their keepers. All the test subjects discover how easily violence and cruelty can manifest itself in human behavior.

Director: Paul Scheuring
Screenwriter: Paul Scheuring
Production Co: Alliance Cinema
Rating: R (Nudity|Language|Rape|Some Sexual Content|Strong Disturbing Violence)
Genre: Mystery & Thriller, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 21, 2010

Most Popular at Home Now