The Experiment

"They never imagined it would go this far"

2010 1h 36m EN

😐

6.4

MID

⭐

6.4

IMDB

★6.4TMDB · 1,365★6.4IMDB · 60,331

ThrillerDrama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

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

“They never imagined it would go this far”

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Cast

Adrien Brody
Travis
Cam Gigandet
Chase
Forest Whitaker
Barris
Maggie Grace
Kelly
Clifton Collins Jr.
Nix
Fisher Stevens
Archaleta
Damien Leake
Govenor
Ethan Cohn
Benji

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Paul T. Scheuring
Writers: Paul T. Scheuring, Mario Giordano
Languages: English, Spanish
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 16 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Spanish.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Paul T. Scheuring, shot by Amy Vincent. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Graeme Revell. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Peter S. Elliot shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Adrien Brody and Cam Gigandet and Forest Whitaker carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "They never imagined it would go this far".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0997152 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Paul T. Scheuring directs. Amy Vincent behind the camera. Graeme Revell scores. Peter S. Elliot cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English, Spanish.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Released 16 years ago.
2Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Spanish.
3Directed by Paul T. Scheuring, shot by Amy Vincent. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Graeme Revell. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Peter S. Elliot shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Adrien Brody and Cam Gigandet and Forest Whitaker carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "They never imagined it would go this far".
8IMDB entry: tt0997152 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

The technical file

Cinematography: Amy Vincent
Original score: Graeme Revell
Editing: Peter S. Elliot
Production design: Gary Frutkoff
Costume design: Yasmine Abraham
Makeup / hair: Paul Anthony
Stunt coordinator: Mike Smith
Runtime: 96 min · 1h 36m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $21,800,000
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: The Experiment (2010)
IMDB rating: 6.4/10 · 60,331 votes
MPAA: R

Also by

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A Long Way From Nowhere
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Community reviews

What people are saying

LastCaress19722013-08-11
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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