The Stanford Prison Experiment Review

"This experiment...is over." Kyle Patrick Alvarez brings us his third film he has directed with the docudrama The Stanford Prison Experiment. I stumbled across this movie entirely by chance and I am happy to say it was a good find.

This movie tells the story of Dr. Philip Zimbardo's Stanford Prison Experiment. Dr. Zimbardo (Billy Crudup) picked 24 students to partake in his experiment where he created a mock prison in the basement of Stanford, gave them a list of rules and let human nature run it's course. It's a fun ride watching as human nature is broken down and being able to witness what happens when a few people are given power.

I knew nothing about this subject before watching this movie. After watching this movie, I actually went back and read into the study even further but it was so interesting. The story telling throughout the film was spectacular and kept you on the edge of your seat wondering what this group of college students would do next.

The acting throughout the movie is spectacular. Billy Crudup does a amazing job portraying Dr. Philip Zimbardo as the man who becomes so engrossed with his work, he fails to see where a line should be drawn. Ezra Miller and Michael Angarano are outstanding in their portrayals of two of the students especially Michael Angarano. I started to develop an understanding and relate to both the prisoners and guards throughout the film.

I really enjoyed the cinematography throughout the film, as well as the accompanying music to give it an almost eerie tone as you see the experiment unravel. The pacing was terrific and I did not feel that any scene was wasted. The character development throughout the film showed the transformation that each student went through and what problems they had to endure on both sides.

I was very impressed with this movie. I learned quite a lot about a subject that I didn't even really know existed. It made me think about how I would react in similar situations and I related to each character in the film. I was captivated in the experiment that was supposed to last two weeks but was cut short to six days. I know this movie will remain in my mind much longer than that.

Grade: A-

Genre: Documentary/ Drama

Cast: Billy Crudup, Michael Angarano

Rated: R for language including abusive behavior and some sexual references

Director: Kyle Patrick Alvarez