Del;ayed Reaction: The Stanford Prison Experiment

The Pitch: But really, how the hell did that experiment escalate to where it did?

This film made me think a lot about Compliance. Both films are dramatizations of actual events that I wouldn't find plausible if they hadn't really happened. Because, this story is bonkers. If you are somehow unaware of this experiment, here's the Wikipedia article. In short though, in the 70s some volunteers were arbitrarily named guards and prisoners in a simulated prison setting and things escalated quickly. So quickly that the experiment was shut down 6 days into the planned 14. 

This film has a similar tone to Compliance. Both films are pretty cold. Everything is happening at an arm's length. The filmmakers seem to be aware that the story is already crazy enough, so any attempts to embellish it cinematically would be rejected by the audience. That does lead to the problem of this feeling more like a simulation than a film. I'm not sure what options director Kyle Patrick Alcarez had though. However, the movie still has some great moments. I especially like the recreation of the interviews with the men after the experiment was over, because it got in their heads more than we got in the film while it was all happening.

This is a terrific cast. It's one of those that in a decade or two, you'll wonder how they got so many big names together in a small indie movie. Billy Crudup is already quite established. James Wolk and Gaius Charles are recognizable to some. But, check this list out. Among the guards and prisoners, there's Micheal Angarano (Sky High), Moises Arias (The Kings of Summer, Ender'sGame), Nicolas Braun (The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Sky High), Ki Hong Lee (The Maze Runner, Dong from Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt), Thomas Mann (Me & Earl & The Dying Girl), Ezra Miller (The Perks of Being a Wallflower, We Need to Talk About Kevin), Logan Miller (The Good Neighbor, A Dog's Purpose), Keir Gilchrist (It Follows, The Good Neighbor), Tye Sheridan (Mud, Joe, The Tree of Life), and Johnny Simmons (The Perks of Being a Wallflower)*, who make for a murders row of young indie movie and supporting role talent. And I almost forgot to mention Olivia Thirlby. She's only 31, but she's been around since United 93 (2006) and Juno (2007), so it's hard to remember how young she still is. No performance blew me away, but they are all pretty good. That's a lot of actors to juggle for a film that's barely 2 hours long.

*As a 2012 release, Perks deserves even more credit for excellent casting.

Verdict (?): Weakly Recommend