Das Experiment 8/10

[Deckard]

Based on the "Stanford Prison Experiment" 20 volunteers are paid to be tested.

8 shy, anti social introverts are releagted to being gaurds for the duration of 2 weeks. 12 Confident, cocky, strong spirited volunteers are locked in cells and must live as prisoners for the 14 days.

As the male ego and territoriality take a hold the gaurds abuse power while the prisoners of course unite. All done in the name of human psychology we must watch man reduced from intelligent creature to a violent animal.

What unfolds is not unlike a cross between LORD OF THE FLIES and THE CUBE. Its subject matter that has been done before in cinema but often not with such quality results.

Intelligent and thought provoking this German film really is fun to watch. Sure it's nothing new at the end of the day but its done with flair and delivers its inevitable conclusion with a well structured, tension filled finale.

Another quality foreign thriller that deserves much more notice. (Of course the US are gunna remake it but hey when is that ever better than the foreign original)

Recommended

[Scarface98.9]

I highly recommend this underrated gem to, with the same rating. It may not be the most original movie I've ever seen, but then again, originality isn't the most important thing. Moritz Blueitru (sp?) was amazing as Tarek

[The Delfonics]

I reallllllly wanna see this one. It just came out on DVD stateside so Im gunna give it a watch.

[Slim]

.

[Fisting Ackbar]

The subplot involving the reporter's romantic interest took me out of the film at times, but I definitely recommend it.

[JCPhoenix]

I really want to see this one, it looks really interesting...I saw that it just came out on dvd, so i'll probably stop by the video store later and rent it.

And it has quite a good rating on IMDb, 7.8/10...

[arto_j]

Saw it today, I agree with everything Deckard said. Extremely intense ending and it certainly "thrills" like a thriller should. A very interesting watch, and definitely recommended.

[Reigh Kaufman]

I liked most of it, but the spectacles he wore with the camera inside the lens (or arm, can't remember) was a bit silly. And it took ages to work out the bad guy had a b.o problem...it was just suddely mentioned. Jesus, those are two petty gripes, eh?

7/10

[A.J. Hakari]

*SPOILERS*




All I wanna know is where Tarek kept that screwdriver he used to escape the black box. :eek:

[Slim]

Originally posted by Adam J. Hakari
*SPOILERS*

All I wanna know is where Tarek kept that screwdriver he used to escape the black box. :eek:

You mean the screwdriver he found in the black box? :confused: I don't remember what he did with it after escaping.

[arto_j]

MORE SPOILERS....kind of


And I'd like to know what happened to the transmitter thingy that came with the camera-glasses...I don't think you ever see it after he's marveling it in the beginning...

[Fisting Ackbar]

Originally posted by arto_j
MORE SPOILERS....kind of


And I'd like to know what happened to the transmitter thingy that came with the camera-glasses...I don't think you ever see it after he's marveling it in the beginning...

I think he left that somewhere at home or with his clothing that he exchanged when he entered the experiment. I guess those spyglasses work from a long distance away.

[A.J. Hakari]

Originally posted by arto_j
MORE SPOILERS....kind of


And I'd like to know what happened to the transmitter thingy that came with the camera-glasses...I don't think you ever see it after he's marveling it in the beginning...

Perhaps he kept that in the same place he kept the screwdriver. This is one brave, talented man.

[Ellie]

Originally posted by Adam J. Hakari
Perhaps he kept that in the same place he kept the screwdriver. This is one brave, talented man.

Lol, the "transmittor thingy" was supposed to work in the radius of 'bout 100-200 metres (sry if I'm very wrong, I haven't watched it for 'bout 2 weeks now) and so he probably left it with his clothing as Ackbar here also suggested.

'Bout the movie.. well, imo it's the kinda piece of art that shouldn't be watched over and over again because it'll lose that appalling feeling that at least I experienced when first watching it.
The movie gave a true picture of what happens if one starts to abuse his power. The history has showed it, it's in the human nature. The situation was even more complicated because the test subjects didn't take it for real, in subconscious mind it was all just a game for them and that let their "minds free", releaved their actual selves, which had been under the pressure of society (eg Berus: he was a punctual guy, who had to obey the others' demands as he was a flight attendant, and suddenly he had the chance to give someone else orders, which allowed him to -finally- release his urge for power).
The story (though really in some points pretty predictible), great actors (especially Christian Berkel as Steinhoff or.. "38" and of course Moritz Bleibtreu) and an amount of reality make the film enjoyable, though may leave a bit gloomy "aftertaste."

[laurus]

I liked Das Expirment too. Great ‘thriller’. My complaint is that I wish the psychology would have been explored more. Like with the guards and the prisoners, how were they affected as a group. Individually, we see how the experiment is taking its toll but even then there’s like 4 main characters that are focused on and the rest pop in and out. I would have liked Berus’ change to be more gradual too. But having all that would probably make the movie really long. As it was, it had me glued to my seat.
Spoilers
When Terek hit the Elvis guard after almost raping the doctor, I shouted in support. And when all hell broke loss I was lost. I liked the end too.

[badberry]

SPOILERS


Yeah...I didn't get where he suddenly got that screwdriver from either...

Also, I didn't really buy into the ending, with the guards going all apeshit and taking over the prison, capturing the doctor etc...seemed very illogical and not well explained. And then they suddenly just stop fighting...

All in all though, I enjoyed the flick. It was definately unique and kept me interested with some good suspense. 7.5/10.

Does anybody how close to the actual event this movie is? Did anyone actually die in the real experiment?

[Deckard]

I believe they had to stop the experiment in real life after 3 days because of fears for safety, essentially what the film shows is where it was heading..................this film takes the information obtained after 3 days of observations and speculates on the course of events that would have followed if it had continued its full 2 weeks.

[Ellie]

Originally posted by badberry
Yeah...I didn't get where he suddenly got that screwdriver from either...
He found it from that black box. IMO it had probably left there earlier, during the construction of the box or something, but it would be quite a noticable (and conciderable) leftover.

Does anybody how close to the actual event this movie is? Did anyone actually die in the real experiment?
Here's one of the websites of the Stanford Prison experiment: http://www.prisonexp.org/
I've read it all quite a long time ago, but I don't remember anyone really dying during the experiment. Otherwise, the movie was quite close to the real events happening in the simultaneous prison.