The Experiment

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The Experiment

R

2010

1h 36m

Mystery & Thriller

Drama

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4 Reviews

49%

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2,500+ Ratings

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.

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Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

08/03/2023

2.5/4

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

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David Nusair

Reel Film Reviews

09/28/2011

2/4

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

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Victoria Luxford

The National (UAE)

09/01/2011

3/5

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

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Brian Orndorf

BrianOrndorf.com

09/14/2010

D+

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.

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Victor B

@RT85447397 20h

Matt Harwell's beautiful stunning face carried this movie. The plot was okay I guess.

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Rosie D.

@Rosieeeee Apr 20

The whole point of Zimbardo’s real-life experiment was to show how 'ordinary' people succumb to extreme environments, but this film sacrifices that nuance for cheap cinematic thrills. It’s far too over-dramatized to carry any real psychological weight. Everything just feels so scripted and artificial. The characters are tropes rather than real normal people, and the theatricality of it all undermines the actual message. It’s a classic case of a movie being too 'Hollywood' for its own good.

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Jeffrey P

@vanillavoodoo1 06/19/2025

The 'group experiment' concept is a hard one to mess up. This wasn't the best use of the trope, it wasn't the worst. Doesn't shock or surpise or offer any twists. It's basic.

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Ann O

@RT61592518 10/23/2024

When reality is blinded by a veil, and how quickly that veil can come down.

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Leaburn O

@RT35452347 07/03/2023

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

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carlos t

@RT67858720 07/20/2022

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

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Paul Scheuring

Director

Adrien Brody

Travis

Forest Whitaker

Barris

Cam Gigandet

Chase

Travis Fimmel

Helweg

Clifton Collins Jr.

Nix

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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
Producer: Marty Adelstein, Bill Johnson, Maggie Monteith, Scott Nemes, Dawn Parouse, 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
Runtime: 1h 36m

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