The Experiment

I thought that, overall, this was a pretty good film. It built tension well, in spite of its inherent predictability. Acting was good throughout by a cast of German actors I had never heard of. Special shout-out to Andrea Sawatzki in a small role. The main villain looked like the quintessential Nazi, which I suppose was deliberate. With recent American cinema being almost exclusively hyper-"action" thrillers or comic-book movies (or both), it was a nice change of pace, even if it is a bit uncomfortable at times.

Step 1- Take a group of 20 average men, and split them into two sub-groups of 10 each. Step 2- Designate one sub-group as the "guards", giving them all of the power and authority while stripping the others, known as the "inmates" of all rights and dignity. Step 3- Keep them all locked together in a mock prison setting for 2 weeks, and tell these men that this is just an experiment. Step 4- See what happens. Needless to say, the "guards" take full advantage of their newfound status, becoming merciless overlords, reducing the "inmates" to objects of humiliation / degradation. This leads to a conclusion that shatters the minds and bodies of all involved. THE EXPERIMENT is a psychological horror film that delivers a drop kick of profound insight into (in)human nature. Cold, claustrophobic, and highly effective. Perhaps, the most frightening aspect is that this movie is based on an actual experiment from 1971!...

Well acted thriller in which a group of men volunteer to take on the roles of prisoners/guards in an experimental situation. Very quickly, the guards become menacing and the prisoners become more and more cowed one by one, with just a couple of them left willing to stand up to the bullying. The film illustrates vivdly how power struggles can become more and more malevolant as the two factions vie for supremacy. The struggle eventually comes down to a head to head struggle between two individualsl, neither of whom will back down. The acting is very good, if a little overwrought at times, but a particularly subtle and touching performance by Oliver Stokowski as the sad and lonely Prisoner 82 is very moving. His use of facial expressions to show his emotions is excellent and for me carries off the honours. Worth watching if you are into serious drama but be prepared for an emotionally draining experience when the tension cranks up in the last half-hour of the film.

This film tells the story of a psychological experiment that goes horribly wrong. It is fascinating to see the change of the psychological state of the participants. The film captivates and portrays the atmosphere very well. The things depicted are horrible, but entirely believable given the circumstances.

The film is a good food for thought. During watching and even after it, some situations echo and ask to analyze them more. With high probability, the same situation would have developed in real life. You feel for the characters, have sympathy for them as they go through trials, and also try to place yourself in the shoes of every character and think how would you react. Also wonder in which group would have you ended up after the initial test :) Worth watching.

'Hollywoodesque' ending derails this otherwise great movie, that had the potential of becoming a masterpiece. The first 60 minutes or so are intelligent, thought-provoking, and extremely well crafted: cinematography at its very best. Unfortunately, all expectations it had been rising collapse when TV/American Action Movie gimmicks make their omnipotent presence, sending all this promising project to hell (expect to find everything you have already seen so many times on TV or Showcase/AMC/Cinemark Multiplexes). This is a disappointment of the worst kind. I do not give this fiasco just 1 point in consideration for the quality of its first part. Was the director's fault? The producers? Or it is just that the Hollywood virus is reaching all over the world?

Well, it was an exciting movie. As far as "thrillers" go, where the main objective is to keep the audience on the edge of their seats with fear for the central character(s), I suppose "Das Experiment" is about one step from the top echelon. (Condition orange?) But as for teaching us important lessons about the dangerous potential of the human psyche and the effect of social environment on our choices, this movie doesn't. It's about as similar to the real Stanford Prison Experiment as "Air Force One" was to a real assassination attempt. But it's not taking liberties, per se, that bothers me; if the dramatic liberty taken consisted simply of an invented climax where something unexpected and terrible happened, I think I would have respected that choice. But the implausible mayhem of knives, guns, and heavy objects that makes up the last quarter of the movie is characteristic of the action-thriller genre for which many Europeans (justifiably) criticize Hollywood. (6/10)