The atmosphere is so gritty and real that we can see it takes a drastic effect on the people. The cinematography is some to commend, perfectly personifying the prison as the one instigating the violence. Nothing is ever very explicit or, for that matter, truly interesting. Much of what I explained above occurs in the film, but in a seemingly muted form. Early on, he meets Michael Barris (Whitaker) who seems to be a content and well-managed individual, but when he is given the title of a "guard" and Travis the title of a "prisoner," their true sides come out, and abandonment is quickly brought forth. We are met with Adrien Brody, playing Travis, an Atheist softie who agrees to partake in a psychological experiment held by a local organization along with twenty-three other people. I believe a documentary would've been far more suited for this subject.
This is one of those cases where history and facts overshadow fictionalization and dramatization. I'm not entirely sure if a film based on the prison experiment could effectively be made. The film is the American remake of the German picture Das Experiment, as of now, unseen by me, but not totally written off. Abuse was common, the issue of inferiority plagued the prisoners until they tried to force a rebellion, and borderline torturous acts were committed by the guards. Originally set to be a fourteen day test, the experiment ended after day six due to drastic measures taken by the inmates and guards that could've been fatal. Guards were armed with intimidating, militaristic outfits, while the prisoners were ill-equipped with a smock and no underwear. The Experiment is based on that very well known experiment that took place in Stanford University's basement where a mock prison was constructed and twenty-four applicants were divided up and given the vague roles of either a "guard" or a "prisoner." The motivation? A decent pay cut, around $15 a day (the film counterpart ups the pay to $1,000 a day).
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