Experiment

Pros: the versatile Moritz Bliebtreu, art direction, music
Cons: romance (memories/fantasies) slows things down, plausibility of premise

"Das Experiment" (the German film of the year for 2001, directed by Oliver Hirschbiegel) is based on the prison/guard simulation experiment at Stanford directed by Philip Zimbardo in 1971 (for more information on it, see www.prisonexp.org). The Stanford ...

Pros: Stylish, intense, intriguing, confident, well-paced.
Cons: May lack the groove that some viewers connect with. Character development lacks consistency.

I picked up The Experiment on a whim. Typically, this is when I get maximum enjoyment from films. These days it's becoming increasingly difficult to be truly surprised, especially by things associated with media. I didn't even know The Experimen ...

Pros: Based on true 1971 Stanford experiment; very suspenseful; foreign atmosphere makes for Frankfurters for thought
Cons: Last-minute one-night-stand becomes critical in breaking up experiment - doesn't ring true

This film is based loosely on a true experiement done at Stanford University's Psychology Department in 1971 (tip of the hat to Epinionator TOMVEIL, muchos gracias!). Before or after seeing this film, check out the website, http://www.prisonexp.org, to...

Pros: Shows in a vivid way the depths of human nature.
Cons: Have you ever tried putting your soul in a blender? If desired, watch this movie.

If they play Survivor in Hell, Das Experiment is it. German actor Moritz Bleibtreu plays a reporter/taxi driver named Tarek who signs up to participate in “Das Experiment.” Tarek will receive 4000 Marks for participating in the experiment as well...

Pros: Great acting. A very chilling atmosphere.
Cons: Lack of plausibility. Uninteresting subplots.

This German movie has just been released here in Montreal, with lots of advertisement, long after it won the prize for Best Director at last year's Montreal Film Festival. Thus, the anticipation was quite high. And the result, I feel, does not quite...

Pros: Very exciting, suspenseful, great acting, something fresh and different.
Cons: Disappointing to those who know about the real experiment.

When I saw The Experiment on the shelf at Blockbuster, I was thrilled to see another German movie available to rent. When I read the synopsis for it, it sounded strangely familiar. It took me a good while to figure out where I'd seen it before, until I ...

Pros: Creepy concept and realistic storytelling, great acting
Cons: A few plot contrivances

Brought to you by the director of DOWNFALL and loosely based upon the 1970's role playing experiments that were shut down after only 3 days, THE EXPERIMENT is an excellent portrayal of the social downward spiral that human nature can take given the right ...