The Experiment (2010) User Reviews

Important Message, but a movie with flaws

[fpollinger · 6/10 · 28 August 2010]

First off: I am German and i've seen the original Das Experiment many years ago. I wouldn't call all Americans dumb because they remake foreign movies. In fact this movie is better in some ways, like the acting of Forest Whitaker, which reminds me like a evolution from a stay-at-home-dude to his interpretation of Idi Amin.

But the movies share a big problem. The original experiment was the Milgram Experiment, which was in the 60s if i recall correctly. The difference to the movie experiment is, that they originally used completely sane men. So that's why this study had such a big impact. They stopped the experiment at a earlier stage, but they were right at losing control. So in the movies there are psychopaths, Nazis, misfits and even an emo. I think that weakens the message of the movie. It should not be saying: Maniacs and psychopaths are capable of violence, oppression and humiliation. The message of the movies should be: Every man is capable of violence, oppression and humiliation. But it is possible to prevent such things if we ever arrive a level of empathy, philosophy and post-capitalism, then we could prove that humans are more than monkeys with funky weapons.

So apart from the message the movie is OK. Don't expect an action flick, so everything's fine.

You are what you are, and few are willing to change that

[StevePulaski · 6/10 · 7 June 2012]

The Experiment is based on that very well known experiment that took place in Stanford University's basement where a mock prison was constructed and twenty-four applicants were divided up and given the vague roles of either a "guard" or a "prisoner." The motivation? A decent pay cut, around $15 a day (the film counterpart ups the pay to $1,000 a day). Guards were armed with intimidating, militaristic outfits, while the prisoners were ill-equipped with a smock and no underwear. Originally set to be a fourteen day test, the experiment ended after day six due to drastic measures taken by the inmates and guards that could've been fatal. Abuse was common, the issue of inferiority plagued the prisoners until they tried to force a rebellion, and borderline torturous acts were committed by the guards.

The film is the American remake of the German picture Das Experiment, as of now, unseen by me, but not totally written off. I'm not entirely sure if a film based on the prison experiment could effectively be made. This is one of those cases where history and facts overshadow fictionalization and dramatization. I believe a documentary would've been far more suited for this subject.

We are met with Adrien Brody, playing Travis, an Atheist softie who agrees to partake in a psychological experiment held by a local organization along with twenty-three other people. Early on, he meets Michael Barris (Whitaker) who seems to be a content and well-managed individual, but when he is given the title of a "guard" and Travis the title of a "prisoner," their true sides come out, and abandonment is quickly brought forth.

Much of what I explained above occurs in the film, but in a seemingly muted form. Nothing is ever very explicit or, for that matter, truly interesting. The cinematography is some to commend, perfectly personifying the prison as the one instigating the violence. The atmosphere is so gritty and real that we can see it takes a drastic effect on the people.

The whole event feels like Lord of the Flies come to life. Both Golding's timeless novel and Philip Zimbardo's 1971 experiment prove that when stripped of all things just and civil, humans will scram for security and the gray idea of "what is right?" before completely forgoing all the former rules, recognizing this is a new place, and furthermore, begin to act on their id, their desire to feed their consuming savagery. This is definitely taken into consideration in the film, and is the highest point this picture has to offer.

But as far as a worthy retelling of the events, it's pretty thin and underwhelming. The film was directed by Paul Scheuring, who directed some episodes of the FOX crime drama Prison Break, and that is exactly how it plays; like a Television crime drama. The performances, mainly by Adrien Brody and Forest Whitaker, and the exceptional cinematography elevate the film to a passable status, but The Experiment lacks essential character development essential to furthering ones feelings towards its prisoners, and, instead of playing like an superbly intense film, it plays like what it is; an American remake.

Starring: Adrien Brody and Forest Whitaker. Directed by: Paul Scheuring.

A Mutated Version of What the Stanford Experiment Was

[gavin6942 · 7/10 · 7 September 2010]

A group of people, looking to earn a quick buck, sign up for a behavior experiment. But that may have been a really, really bad idea. The experiment causes even the pacifists to turn violent, and there is no one to stop them.

This film could have been easily forgettable, but luckily they somehow secured a great cast, and I think that may have saved it from being just another American remake. Starring Adrien Brody as the pacifist (perhaps even hippie) Travis and Forest Whitaker as Barris, these two can carry the film on their own, with or without the ensemble cast.

I have to give a shout out to Fisher Stevens, who plays the professor Archaleta. I'm saddened that after some bigger hits (notably "Short Circuit") Stevens has been reduced to doing bit parts. But even more sad is the inclusion of Maggie Grace as the hippie Bay. Not that she does a poor job, but that the character is completely pointless, has no development, and her scenes only add another five or ten minutes on to the film -- which would have been more powerful without her.

The experiment shown in the film wouldn't hold up by standards today, as the safety of the people involved is now a top priority. This may have been indirectly addressed, though... I'm unsure. What I can say is that this was adapted from a 2001 German film, which was adapted from a book, which was loosely based on the Stanford Prison Experiment. I think it's safe to say that this film has nothing to do with the original experiment (it is very, very loosely based)... but I'm not sure how close it is to the other sources.

While you might be able to rent better films, this is not something to automatically pass up. If you're into survival, or enjoy these cast members, or like prison stories, you may really like this one. I was pleasantly surprised, and of all the films I see, it was one of the best in recent weeks.

Not nearly as good as the original.

[imdbbl · 21 August 2010]

The Experiment is a 2010 American thriller film directed by Paul Scheuring and starring Adrien Brody, Forest Whitaker,Cam Gigandet and Maggie Grace.The film is also a remake of the 2001 German film Das Experiment, which was directed by Oliver Hirschbiegel. The experiment begins when 26 men are chosen to participate in the roles of guards and prisoners in a psychological study that ultimately spirals out of control. $14,000 for two weeks, it is easy-earned money. The study examines aggressive behavior in an artificial prison setting. At first the tenants are divided randomly into prisoners and guards, but soon a spiral of violence begins.

I had some hope for this film because I remember seeing the original Das Experiment more then a year ago and enjoying it. Although brutal the film was brilliant in the way it explored human nature, human instincts, and one's moral compass. It's actually quite surprising that it took such a long time (9 years) for Hollywood to assassinate, pardon me, remake this very interesting story which is actually based on the Stanford prison experiment that took place in 1971 and was highly criticized afterwords. The problem with this remake is that, as in most things Hollywood, it's all about big name actors and big fights and nice camera angles. What's most important, the characterization and the character development which are the things that make this story, were completely thrown aside. One of the consequences of doing so is that the film felt extremely rushed and therefor the payoff wasn't that great. I didn't think there was real tension, and the film lacked that gritty look of the original, instead it looks sharp and polished.

Also, it's one thing to put your own spin into a story but this remake eliminated an entire dimension of the original film. I'm talking about the people behind the cameras, the scientists watching and conducting the experiment. They played a big part in the original and in this remake they are nowhere to be seen and it truly diminished the story. Regarding the acting, I thought Adrien Brody did a pretty good job and Cam Gigandet was delightfully nasty as he usually is. On the other hand, Forest Whitaker was absolutely awful. In almost every film that see him in, he acts like he has a speech impediment and to be honest, it adds nothing to his performance. Overall, The Experiment it's somewhat enjoyable but not nearly as good as the original.

6/10

Clever, but

[dejan8378 · 6/10 · 21 September 2010]

Could've been done more with this one. Interesting story, slowly built, tensed, well portrayed characters (not just the main two), excellent acting (Brody and Whitaker especially), but in the end unfortunately fails to materialize all that in to something more. Apart from the plain ending and unnecessary undeveloped female character, everything else was done right and it is a gripping thriller indeed.

Probably the most important is that the movie succeeds in the main idea, catching the human nature and its transformation placed in certain conditions. As expected blinding of power and rebelling makes the violence slowly but surely spreads and the movie becomes more disturbing, answering my question why is it going straight to DVD.

Hollywood storytelling + a psychological experiment = a mediocre movie

[Tronic2 · 7/10 · 8 September 2010]

The Stanford prison experiment was about group dynamics when people were assigned roles of prisoners and guards but the movie only revolves around the two main characters most of the time, with others being almost entirely absent. As group dynamics do not really get into play, they miss many opportunities for personality development, which is what made the actual experiment interesting in the first place.

Due to the complete lack of character development (with one exception) the movie feels rather dull and the behavior of the characters, as well as their backgrounds, suggest that the researchers had knowingly picked individuals who had mental or other problems in the past. Even though the plot is about as linear as it can get, it is still full of holes.

The German version is much better, not because The Experiment is a remake but because it is dumbed down way too much. A typical reality-watching simpleton may find the remake easier to follow, though.

Even with its flaws, I give it 7/10 because the basic premise is interesting and the movie is refreshingly different. The set and the cast were certainly good enough.

Good concept but never really becomes compelling

[IDTooLong · 6/10 · 21 August 2010]

The Experiment has an intriguing premise. Human behavior, group dynamics; what will happen when you put a group of people (all with very different personalities) in a small, stressful environment for a long period of time. As this is a straight to DVD movie it surprisingly has a good cast and doesn't suffer from small budget diseases.

The Experiment has the potential of being a great movie but never reaches it's full potential. To me it felt like certain events were rushed. This could be by the lack of explanation of the motives and the background of certain characters. Ultimately, The Experiment is watchable but forgettable. 6/10

Facile treatment of a complex subject

[gilligan-11 · 6/10 · 9 January 2011]

This film is an intense portrayal of the human instinct to dominate and control. The opening images of animals and insects in conflict (rams butting heads, a praying mantis consuming a fly, even microorganisms devouring each other) signal the thematic connection to the conflict that plays out in this film—research subjects randomly assigned to roles as prisoners and guards and left to their own devices. The guards are given only a set of five rules they are instructed to enforce, and they are foolishly advised to avoid the use of violence. The devolution of order into chaos is reminiscent of "The Lord of the Flies" (and there's even a character who resembles the pathetic Piggy—and shares his unfortunate fate). But the film itself is a bit too facile and loose—there's a good deal of action but little in the way of character development, and the ending arrives violently and abruptly. Even the presence of two Best Actor Oscar winners, Brody and Whitaker, cannot rescue this film from its mediocrity.

Amazing, Amazing and Amazing

[mary-179-677383 · 10/10 · 11 February 2012]

Wow, I loved this movie so much. So you know the storyline. I was interested the whole time. Usually I get bored while watching movies and will play on my laptop or iphone during the movie, but this held my interest completely. Towards the end, I was actually feeling really pumped and was obviously rooting for the "prisoners".

I can't believe all the negative reviews, clearly they have no idea what makes a good movie, because this movie is amazing. I was literally drawn into the emotions of all the key players in the movie. Yea sure, they didn't devolve deep into the characters pasts, but it the movie shows reactions of the now and those reactions and emotions are acted beautifully. I could feel the pain the characters were feeling, I could also see the craziness some of the characters were showing.

The movie sends a clear message of, treat people like animals and they will act like animals.

The acting in this movie is wow, amazing. The script is well written. The camera angles, the lighting everything was great.

"Lord of the Flies" in a Prison

[3xHCCH · 6/10 · 21 August 2010]

"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.

Another crappy USA remake.

[dizfunx · 3/10 · 20 October 2010]

It's as if the title 'The Experiment' refers to Hollywood finally trying to create a remake that surpasses the original.

It's a pale and poor remake of the brilliant German movie 'Das Experiment', which blew my mind first time I saw it.

None of that with 'The Experiment'... Even the presence of two gifted actors (Brody and Withaker) cannot rescue the poor cinematography and awful diluted script. I couldn't even properly empathise with the main character played by Brody. His actions seemed ridiculous put against the prison-experiment backdrop, so terribly written so that there isn't any true logic to his rebellion. It's also very obvious he's not doing half the acting that Moritz Bleibtreu performed in the original.

The casting was terrible, even before the experiment, I could immediately identify which characters were to become guards, and which ones prisoners. Mix this with the poor script-rewrite that put in unnecessary scenes and dialogues and that took out some of the most brilliant scenes in the original, and you get a straight-to-video production that will never be looked back on by movie fanatics anywhere, anytime.

If you have bought, borrowed or downloaded this copy, please burn or delete it. You will be much better off getting Das Experiment instead.

The Experiment has failed!

Don't Listen to the Idiots.

[qwert36985 · 8/10 · 6 February 2013]

Look, I'm a type of guy who doesn't like to get pretentious. Give me a black-and-white Dawn of the Dead and a color version of Dawn of the Dead, and I'll definitely pick the latter.

The people complaining about the Hollywood remake in THIS movie, though, going on and on about the movie **dare I say it?** Das Experiment, are kinda like those guys who'd go for the black and white version of Dawn of the Dead.

Don't get me wrong-- that's understandable. Some people like the plots and scripts in old versions. I can buy that.

What I CAN'T buy, though, is giving this movie a 1 out of 10 because Das Experiment was better. I mean, dude, the acting was God-driven, and I have never been so angry at a character in my life. When I saw that crazy Whitaker get that hell-pounding from Adrien Brody at the end, I felt a burst of adrenaline pulsing straight through my brain and just jumping up and down. I have not experienced that kind of satisfaction in a long time.

Look, the movie's great. Tension, check. Atmosphere, check. Acting, double check. The only things that bothered me were a couple of plot holes and the abrupt ending. I was kinda hoping they'd show more of what happened after. I get that the movie was based on the Stanford Experiment, but plenty of fact driven movies have blended creative elements in for entertainment.

But dammit, the movie was great. You're missing out big time if you don't watch it. Yeah, I get it, you guys think the German Das Experiment film was the real thing. But remakes don't always have to be crap, and The Experiment was amazing on its own.

Conclusion: think of all those 1 out of 10 rate reviews that mention Das Experiment as people who like the black and white version of Dawn of the Dead. They're just trying to sound smart.

Prison

[demo_derby_55 · 7/10 · 21 March 2014]

I thought this was a alright movie actually. I have just watched it again in fact. you have 2 main actors Adrian which is a prisoner and Forest which is a guard. they started out as friends in the beginning but turned enemies cause one got put on the guard side and the other a prisoner. Forest turned into the leader of the guards and Adrian the leader of the prisoners.

I would have to say there was a couple weird spots where Forest pee's on Adrian and stuffs his head in the toilet but other then that the acting was great and I would have to say it was way better then the original. Thanks

How to Destroy a German Masterpiece

[claudio_carvalho · 1/10 · 21 October 2010]

The German "Das Experiment" is one of the best and most powerful movies of the Twentieth-First Century. Tense, powerful, having a wonderful screenplay and outstanding direction and performances, it is another great example of how the absolute power corrupts. "Das Experiment" is a must-see movie, which will certainly provoke reactions on the viewer.

Hollywood, as usual, made a remake showing how to destroy the German masterpiece. The decadent Forest Whitaker is awful, and he should have paid more attention in the acting of Justus Von Dohnanyi in the original film, as the sadistic Berus, instead of using grimaces. The writer and director Paul Scheuring is ridiculous, using sexual premises and sadistic situations freely. I feel sorry for the ridiculous reviews from viewers that have not seen "Das Experiment" and are happy watching this silly American crap. My vote is one (awful).

Title (Brazil): "Detenção" ("Detention")

Remakes of remakes of remakes of rem.....

[enkid2 · 2 October 2010]

This looks like a shot for shot remake of the original film that came out of Germany in 2001. The original had tension and great dialogue but no American star so ''of course like, we had to redo it! ''

I just hate it when movie companies shell out the exact same story that we've already seen. Why? Cause now we got Adrien Brody and Forest Whitaker? Come on...

a) Infernal Affairs (2002) = The Departed (2006) b) Ringu (1998) = The Ring(2002) c) Funny Games U.K (1997) = Funny Games U.S (2007) d) Das Experiment (2001) = The Experiment (2010)

Are you starting to get the picture? e) Let the right one in (2008) ( excellent movie that shouldn't have been altered ) = Let me in (2010). That's 2 years. Yes. Two years.

They don't even wait ten years nowadays, they can't wait to shove the same thing down your throat. Don't encourage them. Please.

Quite an interesting twist

[Pippy360 · 6/10 · 10 September 2011]

Reading through the reviews, I was taken back to when I watched it.

For my educational course, watching and reviewing the behaviour of characters in this film is a necessity.

Having not watched the original, I am basing my experience purely by the Stanford university prison experiment.

The link between Travis (Brody) and Barris (Whitaker) struck me as significant, before the experiment had even begun. It was inevitable that they would be pinned against each other, however I had no idea it would elevate to the extent it did.

As mentioned in a previous review by somebody, there were 5 rules to be followed by the prisoners. If these are broken, then the guards must react accordingly within 30 minutes of the incident, or a red light will go off, signalling the end of the experiment. This red light quickly becomes the obsession of Barris, who relies upon this and seems to worship it (A godly reference). Barris plays this role EXTREMELY well in my opinion, pouncing on every occasion there is to uphold these rules that the guards have been given.

The guards are not to use violence, if they do, the experiment will end. As stated once again in the same previous review, the experiment doesn't end when Benjy (Cohn) is killed by a blow to the head. However I thought this reflected very well upon the nature of the Stanford University Prison Experiment, where Zimbardo quickly adapted to the role of a prison warden, overlooking any of the guards gross misconduct. This act was very well done, with very little interference by the leaders of the experiment.

The ending was quite strange and not what I expected at all. I had expected some chaos to be imminent at times, however not on the scale that closed the film. The slow motion during the riots adds to the effect of the defeat of the guards by allowing you to capture their reactions in every frame; fear, anxiety, horror.

Overall I enjoyed this film, partly because of the alienation that the guards felt towards the prisoners after the experiment had been ceased. This film, I felt, reflected exceptionally well on the reality of the experiment, where events got out of hand very quickly - With the people taking on the role of a prisoner or a guard, having their behaviour and thinking shifted perpetually by the perception of their character.

Good because of Brody and Whitaker

[fridaynightchicken · 7/10 · 18 January 2012]

I'll give it a seven. Brody and Whitaker are both good. The movie is somewhat low budget and the script isn't the best, but the themes and the character analysis is actually pretty good. I pondered the themes throughout multiple viewings. You can tell both actors put work into their roles and wanted it to be a success. I don't know why people are complaining, because compared to 90% of what else is on t.v. this is way better.

As an aside, the progression of the protagonists can be seen as sort of a self character study for the viewer. You get to see what types of personalities are more power hungry and apt to infringe on other people's lives, what types of people stand up for goodness, and the others that fall in between.

Brody's character is a peace activist and also an underachiever, perhaps the script writers wanted to show that these types of people are usually oppressed even though they feel the occasional desire to protest. Over the course of the film his character's psyche is peeled back like an onion to reveal his true underlying self; a fighter for good. Brody's character doesn't have it in him to oppress, and it takes being put into an ultimate situation like this, where his sense of safe civilly adhering human is completely stripped away. He has nothing left to do but fully be the 'savior' type that his personality type is at its core. This may sound stupid, but I sense a unicorn-ness about Brody's character. The ultimate good versus evil. Which can be read between the lines of this movie.

Whitaker's persona is the opposite of light and good, it is dark and oppressed and thus seeks to oppress. He has become what he was raised from. Backstory vignettes show how his mother was domineering and he still lives with her at age 41. He begins the story as meek and polite and god fearing, but further into the story you see that those were just covers for his true quiet desperation. And once he is placed in a position of power he gets to embody all of that pain that made him feel powerless throughout his life. Like a tortured animal that wants to see his trauma wrought upon another, in a very sociopathic way, his character can't live without experiencing that. It is unfortunate, but as is seen in this movie, that is why there are roles in society for people brought up like this; prison guard.

By the end of the movie, and after empathizing with the characters, you see that humans are just the products of their environments. I would say it is good versus evil, but Whitaker's character is too complex to fully write off as true evil, he is a naive human grown in an unideal home, and I feel bad for him. Brody's character, though more enjoyable to watch and the 'hero' of the story, is somewhat less fulfilling, because he has obviously been raised into a life that has given him freedom and light, he is sort of the fool, as he is in most of his films, and so in a broader sense is regarded with less depth. But as is seen in the last bus scene, it's all about choice, and in the end everybody has one. And Whitaker's character chooses to be dark and Brody's to be light.

Doctor's mistakes are buried

[deanofrpps · 6/10 · 28 October 2013]

This film is based loosely on (a) US sponsored psychological experiment in which a prominent psychiatrist ran amok creating a prison in the basement of a noted liberal University. It follows in the steps of a German film Das Experiment (2001), highlighting lack of originality in the US theatre.

Very different from from the real life experiment in which the participants, recruited from students between semesters received rather chincy emoluments, the movie version claims that the test subjects, were offered stupendous incentives for their collaboration.

The film correctly states that volunteers were assigned roles and that as the experiment went on the participants fell into the roles that were given them. Like the German film, the experiment devolves into ever increasing dosages of violence.

In the US version, the feel good ending is even better than the German version. Travis (Adrien Brody) one of the prisoners has such a will to resist the torture and degradation that he busts out. Everyone follows him and they all receive their handsome checks.

In real life, there was no busting out but there was some busting back in. Some who had under intimidation quit the experiment returned and applied to be re-instated. They had formed a camaraderie with the others in the project and wanted to see it through.

In the film version the consequences for the authors of this fiendish experiment was severe. In an investigation that follows, the mad scientist, a rather small and squat gnomish sort behind the experiment, is indicted.

In real life nothing of the kind occurred. Jocularly speaking of the escapade a quarter century later, the real life psychiatrist hosted a US sponsored college course on psychology.

The Experiment Going Awry

[HLX1992 · 7/10 · 17 September 2019]

Exploring the dark side of human beings is never a pleasant task. A group of scientists, however, decided to take on the challenge. They offered every participant a daily wage of 1000 dollars, and divided them into 2 groups, who would be playing roles of inmates and wardens respectively. The seemingly innocuous beginning was soon followed by chaotic incidents, in which the personalities, mostly on the negative sides, of all participants gave themselves free vent. Naturally, we were witnessing some ugly behaviors from those who conducted themselves in their daily lives. The film serves as an admonition against our dangerous inclination to fall for the evil forces and lose our true aspirations in life.

This movie is not about Stanford Prison Experiment.

[en_blanche · 9/10 · 23 September 2011]

Firstly, please let me suggest that this movie is not about Stanford Prison Experiment. It doesn't claim that it presents what happened in 1971 at Stanford' basement. The experiment in this movie was done somewhere else by someone else and it seemed illegal to me. That's the point. Please keep it in mind while watching.

Moreover. Is The Experiment a remake of 2001 Das Experiment? I guess not. Two movies share the same plot (prison experiment) but each one has its own characters and story line. Good thing is you could watch both movies excitedly about what will happen next. Fahd(2001) is a reporter, Trevis(2010) is not. Stories are quite different as well. 2001 has at least 3 researchers working around, 2010 has none.

I assumed what story writer want to tell us is the experiment in 2010 version is an illegal action. The researcher brought men to the location faraway from town, let them be, and didn't give a damn. All the researcher did was collecting information heartlessly, let guards played bad guys as they pleased. So it drove prisoners crazy.

For me, this story makes sense more than 2001 which the experiment was employed in town with only 3 researchers who were unable to control the situation. And I kinda don't like the idea in 2001 movie which let outsiders get involved too much, I mean, Fahd' girlfriend and researchers, 2 women, on top of that. The experiment was supposed to be Male-Only experiment, was it not?

I won't say that which version is better or more original-like for both of them are not completely original-like at all. I watched both, and both of them enjoyed me a lot. Horrifying and disgusting. That's enough for watching movies. If you want to know what happened in 1971 -real- Stanford Prison Experiment, don't waste your hours watching these movies, go watch the documentary named "Quiet Rage: The Stanford Prison Experiment" instead.

Quite intriguing and thought provoking

[Floated2 · 7/10 · 8 May 2020]

Now having not seen the original, cannot make comparisons with this remake to the original. It also seems like majority of the negative reviews are from people comparing this remake to the original, and once this occurs, they instantly downgrade and nitpick the remake for every little detail that doesn't measure up to the original.

Did not know what exactly to expect and this film was quite more intriguing and thought provoking than having intended. With a relatively simple plot about a random group of men having to partake in a prison experience for money (14k cash) for 2 weeks. We knew that the craziness would ensure as things get settled in, and it doesn't take too long. It was predictable but that wasn't the purpose- that was expected. It is more of an underlying principle about how far people would go for money

The acting by both Adrien Brody and Forest Whitaker stood out as they made the film worth the watch (specifically Whitaker whose character goes through a strong change). Initially thought this film would be much more violent in terms of blood, guns, weapons and overall death. Not so much but the film most definitely progresses and the violence does turn up quite a notch.

The story isn't very much detailed but it does what its intended to and about 45 minutes or so (once Brody gets his head shaved) we noticed a strong shift in tone and the "real fun" begins. Then again after an hour or so (once Whitaker shaves his head).

Although the ending isn't the greatest and was somewhat questionable. Also raised a few questions. They didn't stay the full 2 weeks (14 days), lasting roughly 6 days. Then in a scene later showing them on the bus, we see Forest Whitaker holding a check with the 14k. It was bizarre in how they (assuming all of them) were rewarded the money even without staying the full 14 days.

Absolutely horrible. Watch Das Experiment instead. Please save yourself the trouble.

[monkies3388 · 1/10 · 22 March 2011]

it may not actually deserve a 1 rating, but i just finished watching the movie, so i still have a disgusting taste in my mouth, so to speak.

so, the original, Das Experiment, was an amazing movie. it was completely believable, for one. i find one of the worst qualities of a bad movie is believability. i can get over bad acting, or any of the other cliché signs of a bad movie... but if i cant even believe that what is going on could possibly be going on, it can be HARD to watch.

i can believe that scientists would hold an experiment of this kind... i can (reaching) believe that they would offer $1k per day to participants, considering the circumstances of the experiment. what i cannot believe... *if you don't know yet, they are not allowed to hurt anybody physically, or the experiment is immediately supposed to be ended* is that the guards would, without circumstances changing, in one scene, continue this 'humiliation without physical harm' by dunking the main character's head in water over and over... then turn around, and in the very next scene, beat the crap out of one of the guards who broke the rules.

i cannot believe, that after all the 'prisoners' saw the guards beat the crap out of the other guard, that the prisoners would not do SOMETHING. they sat there... as they outnumbered the guards... and watched the lead guard KILL one of the prisoners. STILL NOTHING. completely unbelievable... at one point, one of the guards has decided that he has had enough, that the lead guard is crazy, and basically begins walking out. the lead guard stops him... by saying some more crazy stuff... if you were standing next to somebody, and they said they get off on humiliating and beating the crap out of somebody, and you said, "thats crazy! Im leaving. you are insane." and they came back with something just as crazy, you don't stay... you leave. he didn't even threaten him.

the guard who wanted to rape that prisoner? completely unnecessary. actually, correction... they didn't weave it into the plot... at all. it felt like its own little gross side show.

the ending... good god.

i have to stop for a second on that one... its that horrible. i kept hanging on for the ending, because i wanted to know why they didn't end the experiment. i don't need to get into details, but suffice it to say, they all ended up riding a single bus home, the rapist, the raped, the killer, and although he wasn't shown, probably the killed. it wasn't some profound or poignant statement about humanity or something... it just seemed stupid, and again, not believable.

at a couple points, they were trying to some sort of statement about humanity, social evolution... it was not effective whatsoever.

IN SUMMARY! Not believable at all. you do feel a bit of that revenge satisfaction at the end, but it is minimal, to spite having waited for an hour plus. the acting was mediocre, to spite some big hitters being called in.

If you like the premise... if you want to see it done right, believable, emotionally charged, and with an ending that will knock your socks off? watch Das Experiment.

would somebody please.... stop Americans from remaking foreign films? just stop it :|

Excellent movie!

[jbbazot · 8/10 · 10 November 2010]

Don't mind the bad review up there, whether you've seen or not the German original version, The Experiment still remains an excellent movie with two great actors (and a great plot): Forrest Whitaker and Adrien Brody. Interesting movie that shows that even if we all pretend to have some kind of moral, we all still remain animals that will bite to defend our pack. Sometimes you watch a 96mn movie and it feels like you were watching The Ten Commandments with Charlton Heston (don't mean this is a bad film, it's just very long), but this one is the total opposite! you'll be annoyed when the credits will appear at the end. Also, if like me you're a bit sick and tired of the current Hollywood buzz which consists to make many spy movies with a huge budget, you will enjoy that film, because it's quite simple, only few rooms needed at location. So the question is: are you a prisoner?

A flop German remake

[pandyam · 6/10 · 7 November 2010]

Its a flop Hollywood remake of German movie Das Experiment. As usual both Broody and Forest were great with their acting, but i wish i hadn't seen German movie to give bias review of this movie. This is a proof of how Hollywood some times spoils the remake of good foreign films. For first timers watching this movie comes as treat - as it talks about human psychology and question the evolution from animal to humans. The Hollywood narrated whole movie with the concept of larger animal, or powerful animal prey on weaker ones. But, actually the whole idea of the movie is about "how power corrupts" - bring in people from same background, friends, or siblings; once given a power it tends to corrupt, which is powerfully demonstrated in this experiment. pretty interesting book "black box"

A masterful American remake..NOT!!

[pete_hatchetharry · 1/10 · 5 December 2010]

'This was a surprisingly intense film that I'm so glad I watched. The concept was great and this was even before I found out it was based on a true story.'

Like the sound of the above? Well don't bother watching this awful American Remake , watch the original German award winning film 'DAS EXPERIMENT' which this snippet of a IDMB review was taken from. 'The Experiment' lacks the intensity of the original. I found myself caring very little about the characters. Don't be fooled by the employ of fantastic actors such as Forest Whitaker and Adrien Brody. There inclusion was a bit like employing Tiger Woods to play in the FIFA Football World Cup, sounds good on paper but awful to watch. The story has massive holes in the plot which remain unexplained and an ending that is about as satisfying as a chicken nugget. Overall the rewriting of such an intense drama and fantastic story has completely ruined it.