The Stanford Prison Experiment (2015)

In 1971, twenty-four male students are selected to take on randomly assigned roles of prisoners and guards in a mock prison situated in the basement of the Stanford psychology building.

Director:

Kyle Patrick Alvarez

Writers:

Tim Talbott, Philip Zimbardo (based on the book "The Lucifer Effect")

Stars:

Ezra Miller, Tye Sheridan, Billy Crudup

4 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Billy Crudup	...	Dr. Philip Zimbardo
Michael Angarano	...	Christopher Archer
Moises Arias	...	Anthony Carroll
Nicholas Braun	...	Karl Vandy
Gaius Charles	...	Paul Vogel
Keir Gilchrist	...	John Lovett
Ki Hong Lee	...	Gavin Lee / 3401
Thomas Mann	...	Prisoner 416
Ezra Miller	...	Daniel Culp / 8612
Logan Miller	...	Jerry Sherman / 5486
Tye Sheridan	...	Peter Mitchell / 819
Johnny Simmons	...	Jeff Jansen / 1037
James Wolk	...	Mike Penny
Nelsan Ellis	...	Jesse Fletcher
Olivia Thirlby	...	Dr. Christina Maslach

Storyline

In 1971, twenty-four male students are selected to take on randomly assigned roles of prisoners and guards in a mock prison situated in the basement of the Stanford psychology building.

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Plot Keywords:

prisoner | guard | student | prison | psychology | 

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Taglines:

They were given 2 weeks. It lasted 6 days.

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | History | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language including abusive behavior and some sexual references

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

17 July 2015 (USA)

Also Known As:

Untitled Stanford Prison Experiment Project

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$37,514, 19 July 2015, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$643,557, 20 September 2015

Company Credits

Production Co:

Coup d'Etat Films, Sandbar Pictures, Abandon Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

122 min

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

Acting pairs, Michael Angarano and Nicholas Braun, Ezra Miller and Johnny Simmons, Ki Hong Lee and Chris Sheffield, and Keir Gilchrist and Thomas Mann, have all been in a movie together prior to The Stanford Prison Experiment. Respectively, those movies are Sky High (2005) (and Red State (2011)), The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012), The Maze Runner (2014), and It's Kind of a Funny Story (2010).

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Goofs

When a guard asks the prisoners to shout "Prisoner 819 did a bad thing" 20 times, they actually shout it 24 times.

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Quotes

Karl Vandy: It's easy for you to say, 'Oh, I wouldn't have acted that way, but you don't know. That's - that's the truth. You don't know. And now, I know what I'm capable of, and it hurts.

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Connections

References Frankenstein (1931)

User Reviews

Prison...Indeed

Okay - lets be honest here. Its not extremely difficult to make a film portraying a psychological experiment that was well documented and captured on film.

This film as more of a reenactment - just so you are aware.

Ezra Miller continues to shine as a prison subject in this movie. With the upcoming Justice League Films, and Miller portraying The Flash, its nice to see his work outside that to get more comfortable with his upcoming performance.

So - as the film title states, this a recalling of a social experiment gone a little too far, and had to be stopped early for reason I will not spoil.

The true nature of human empowerment is truly devastating to witness.

If you have time, see this tense thriller. It will however, raise as many questions as it answers.

A great thinking movie. Please don't forget to check out the source material on this study during, or after the movie.

Very interesting, very disturbing, and very enlightening.