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The Stanford Prison Experiment

  • 20152015
  • RR
  • 2h 2m
IMDb RATING
6.8/10
42K
YOUR RATING
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • IMDbPro
The Stanford Prison Experiment (2015)
It is the summer of 1971. Dr. Philip Zimbardo launches a study on the psychology of imprisonment. Twenty-four male undergraduates are randomly assigned to be either a guard or a prisoner. Set in a simulated jail, the project unfolds. The participants rapidly embody their roles -- the guards become power-hungry and sadistic, while the prisoners, subject to degradation, strategize as underdogs. It soon becomes clear that, as Zimbardo and team monitor the escalation of action through surveillance cameras, they are not fully aware of how they, too, have become part of the experiment.
Play trailer2:31
2 Videos
66 Photos
  • Biography
  • Drama
  • History

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.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.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.

IMDb RATING
6.8/10
42K
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Kyle Patrick Alvarez
  • Writers
    • Tim Talbott
    • Philip Zimbardo(based on the book "The Lucifer Effect")
  • Stars
    • Ezra Miller
    • Tye Sheridan
    • Billy Crudup
Top credits
  • Director
    • Kyle Patrick Alvarez
  • Writers
    • Tim Talbott
    • Philip Zimbardo(based on the book "The Lucifer Effect")
  • Stars
    • Ezra Miller
    • Tye Sheridan
    • Billy Crudup
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 121User reviews
    • 89Critic reviews
    • 67Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 4 wins & 3 nominations

    Videos2

    Official Trailer
    Trailer 2:31
    Official Trailer
    Exclusive Clip
    Clip 0:56
    Exclusive Clip

    Photos66

    Michael Angarano, Chris Sheffield, Brett Davern, Johnny Simmons, Ezra Miller, Ki Hong Lee, and Tye Sheridan in The Stanford Prison Experiment (2015)
    Michael Angarano, Chris Sheffield, Brett Davern, Johnny Simmons, Logan Miller, Ezra Miller, Jesse Carere, and Tye Sheridan in The Stanford Prison Experiment (2015)
    Kyle Patrick Alvarez in The Stanford Prison Experiment (2015)
    Kyle Patrick Alvarez, Gaius Charles, James Wolk, Matt Bennett, and James Frecheville in The Stanford Prison Experiment (2015)
    Kyle Patrick Alvarez in The Stanford Prison Experiment (2015)
    Michael Angarano, Chris Sheffield, Brett Davern, Johnny Simmons, Logan Miller, Ezra Miller, Tye Sheridan, and Jack Kilmer in The Stanford Prison Experiment (2015)
    Billy Crudup at an event for The Stanford Prison Experiment (2015)
    Ezra Miller at an event for The Stanford Prison Experiment (2015)
    Olivia Thirlby at an event for The Stanford Prison Experiment (2015)
    Philip Zimbardo at an event for The Stanford Prison Experiment (2015)
    Tye Sheridan at an event for The Stanford Prison Experiment (2015)
    Kyle Patrick Alvarez at an event for The Stanford Prison Experiment (2015)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Ezra Miller
    Ezra Miller
    • Daniel Culpas Daniel Culp…
    Tye Sheridan
    Tye Sheridan
    • Peter Mitchellas Peter Mitchell…
    Billy Crudup
    Billy Crudup
    • Dr. Philip Zimbardoas Dr. Philip Zimbardo
    Olivia Thirlby
    Olivia Thirlby
    • Dr. Christina Maslachas Dr. Christina Maslach
    Michael Angarano
    Michael Angarano
    • Christopher Archeras Christopher Archer
    Moises Arias
    Moises Arias
    • Anthony Carrollas Anthony Carroll
    Nicholas Braun
    Nicholas Braun
    • Karl Vandyas Karl Vandy
    Gaius Charles
    Gaius Charles
    • Paul Vogelas Paul Vogel
    Keir Gilchrist
    Keir Gilchrist
    • John Lovettas John Lovett
    Ki Hong Lee
    Ki Hong Lee
    • Gavin Leeas Gavin Lee…
    Thomas Mann
    Thomas Mann
    • Prisoner 416as Prisoner 416
    Logan Miller
    Logan Miller
    • Jerry Shermanas Jerry Sherman…
    Johnny Simmons
    Johnny Simmons
    • Jeff Jansenas Jeff Jansen…
    James Wolk
    James Wolk
    • Mike Pennyas Mike Penny
    Nelsan Ellis
    Nelsan Ellis
    • Jesse Fletcheras Jesse Fletcher
    Matt Bennett
    Matt Bennett
    • Kyle Parkeras Kyle Parker
    Jesse Carere
    Jesse Carere
    • Paul Beattieas Paul Beattie…
    Brett Davern
    Brett Davern
    • Hubbie Whitlowas Hubbie Whitlow…
    • Director
      • Kyle Patrick Alvarez
    • Writers
      • Tim Talbott
      • Philip Zimbardo(based on the book "The Lucifer Effect")
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
    • All cast & crew

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    Storyline

    Edit
    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.
    • prisoner
    • guard
    • prison
    • psychology
    • university
    • 59 more
    • Plot summary
    • Plot synopsis
    • Taglines
      • They were given 2 weeks. It lasted 6 days.
    • Genres
      • Biography
      • Drama
      • History
      • Thriller
    • Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)
      • Rated R for language including abusive behavior and some sexual references
    • Parents guide

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Although never mentioned in the movie, the real life experiment was funded by the U.S. Office of Naval Research and was of interest to both the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps as an investigation into the causes of conflict between military guards and prisoners.
    • Goofs
      When Dr. Zimbardo speaks with his colleague, the colleague says that he will see him at the beginning of the semester. Stanford does not have semesters; rather, it has a quarter academic calendar.
    • Quotes

      Daniel Culp: I know you're a nice guy.

      Christopher Archer: So why do you hate me?

      Daniel Culp: Because I know what you can become.

    • Connections
      Featured in WatchMojo: Top 10 Creepiest Historic Events That Are Scarier than Horror Movies (2020)

    User reviews121

    Review
    Top review
    7/10
    The first 90% is great but it's seriously flawed since it ignores the obvious moral outrage.
    In 1971, Dr. Philip Zimbardo conducted a famous psychological study which has been cited innumerable times since as a case of experimenter misconduct and the abuse of participants. This film is a dramatization of the study and the events surrounding it.

    It begins with Dr. Zimbardo (Billy Crudup) and his research assistants interviewing potential subjects for a study for which the participants will be paid $15 a day. What exactly it is, these subjects have little idea but the experiment was to simulate a prison environment and see the effect it would have on the participants--both those who were chosen to be guards as well as those chosen to be prisoners. In most every way, Zimbardo and his team tried to replicate a prison environment in the basement of one of the buildings at Stanford University--including having fake police arrest the designated prisoners and bring them to this mock prison. Unfortunately, very soon after the study began, psychological and physical damage occurred to the participants...yet Zimbardo did not discontinue the study. Even after guards began manhandling the prisoners and severely degrading them, the experiment continued for a hellish week. While Zimbardo claimed that the study was being done to give insight into human behavior, his lack of objectivity, the school's lack of oversight and unethical treatment of the subjects is the reason that the study became so famous. Oddly, however, such comment about the study is almost completely missing...a strange omission to say the least.

    I am an unusual film reviewer because I was a practicing psychotherapist as well as a teacher who taught history and psychology. So, I probably would get more out of this movie than the average viewer and I am very familiar with the experiment. The film does a great job of re-creating the study and the time period. Folks looked and dressed like folks from 1971 and Crudup looked reasonably close to Zimbardo. I appreciated how the filmmakers tried hard to replicate the events and times during which it was made. What it also did was re-create the horrors and the film was, at times, rather disturbing...even though this occurred several decades ago. But in the film, after Zimbardo finally pulls the plug on the study, the film pretty much ends. There's a short blurb at the end that Zimbardo and his team determined that no lasting damage was done to the subjects...though this is a completely self-serving statement and was not established scientifically. As a result, the film emphasizes what folks thought they learned about prison environments and obedience...but not how the study ended up horrifying many professionals within the field. This is a huge problem and up until the inexplicable ending, I would have scored this film much higher. Incidentally, the bonus features on the DVD (which debuted this week on Netflix) seems to indicate that indeed the end did justify the means in this bizarre study.

    So is this a film for you? Maybe. It is very well constructed and the acting is very realistic. I am not sure, however, that the average viewer would want to watch the study unfolding as it is unpleasant-- but it certainly is thought-provoking and interesting. I assume that this film could be effectively used by psychology programs to generate discussions about ethics and responsibility. By the way, what's allowed and not allowed in experiments on American campuses has changed significantly since 1971...much of it the result of studies run amok such as this one!
    helpful•21
    9
    • planktonrules
    • Nov 30, 2015

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • July 17, 2015 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official site
      • Official site
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Untitled Stanford Prison Experiment Project
    • Filming locations
      • Stanford University, Palo Alto, California, USA
    • Production companies
      • Coup d'Etat Films
      • Sandbar Pictures
      • Abandon Pictures
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $660,561
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $37,514
      • Jul 19, 2015
    • Gross worldwide
      • $663,114
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      2 hours 2 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.35 : 1

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