The Stanford Prison Experiment is
consistently compelling, a fascinating telling of true events grounded by
believable performances and a relentlessly tense tone. The entire experience of
watching the film was riveting, despite a disappointing lack of commentary on
the events. We are drawn in by the realism of Kyle Patrick Alvarez’s direction
and the dedicated performances from the solid ensemble cast, but the screenplay
adapted by Tim Talbott from Dr. Phillip Zimbardo’s book fails to contextualize
the events. When the experiment from the film’s title was completed, it was
followed by endless interviews and studies to understand the events; the
audience of The Stanford Prison
Experiment is merely given a few minutes to investigate these ideas as the
credits roll.
In 1971 Dr.
Philip Zimbardo (played by Billy Crudup) of Stanford University
This is the
third time that Dr. Zimbardo’s crucial study has been adapted into film form,
though previously it was merely a starting off point for screenwriters to
utilize creative license. The difference between this film and the German
adaptation (as well as the American remake of that German interpretation), is
the faithfulness to accuracy. The location, time period, and details are kept
as close to actual events as possible, even utilizing the real Dr. Zimbardo as
an advisor for the production. This realism does not detract from the impact of
the situation, even if the treatment of the prisoners is psychologically
destructive rather than physical. Though the natural cinematic evolution would
be to allow this tension to boil over with acts of violence, The Stanford
Prison Experiment remains stronger by refraining from that kind of unnecessary
spectacle. The emotional turmoil of the situation must instead rely upon the
strength of the film’s cast.
There are so
many fantastic actors within this cast of characters that it almost becomes a
fault of the film. Because Dr. Zimbardo is not portrayed to be at all
sympathetic for much of the film and the students enacting the guards in the
experiment are mostly corrupted by the power entrusted to them, this leaves
only the victimized faux prisoners for audiences to sympathize with. This may
have worked better if there had been only one relatable prisoner as the central
protagonist, but instead we are given a handful of personalities and reactions.
Despite the excellence of each performance and however accurate this may be to
the true events the narrative is based on, the result is somewhat scattered and
uneven. The reality is, just because something is fascinating as a true story
doesn’t mean its narrative will work as a film.
The DVD release
for The Stanford Prison Experiment includes a director’s commentary track, as
well as two featurettes about the film and the real-life study it is based on.
A trailer is also included.
Entertainment Value:
7.5/10
Quality of
Filmmaking: 7.5/10
Historical
Significance: 5/10
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