Review: ‘The Stanford Prison Experiment’ plays warden to chilling effect

Much of what happens during “The Stanford Prison Experiment” seems just too unbelievable to be true. Sadly, and fascinatingly, director Kyle Patrick Alvarez’s film depicts the real events of a 1971 study on authority and situational behavior done by Dr. Philip Zimbardo (Billy Crudup).

Young college men, paid $15 a day for two weeks, are divided into guards and prisoners and housed in an office hallway doctored with plywood for their experimental role play, which quickly, and violently, turns all too real.

But worse than any physical harm is the psychological and emotional manipulation, spearheaded by a swaggering guard nicknamed John Wayne (a drawling, ferocious Michael Angarano). Forcing the prisoners to participate in arbitrary, byzantine and increasingly sadistic rituals, he has them fully under his control, a feat the other guards attempt to replicate, only stoking the growing rebellion.

The researchers come to realize that the experiment is no experiment at all, but a demonstration of their own power, and they like playing warden. Alvarez captures the sickly green and dingy gray environment, and even though he emphasizes the claustrophobic nature of the stuffy hallway, brings movement and dynamism to the space.

The cast of ascendant Hollywood talent includes Tye Sheridan, Ezra Miller, Thomas Mann, James Wolk and Olivia Thirlby, and the ensemble shines in demonstrating the complexities of the individuals who either endure or exploit this system of abusive power dynamics. Though a period piece, Alvarez’s film remains relevant to the contemporary conversation about prison reform.

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“The Stanford Prison Experiment.”

MPAA rating: R for language, abusive behavior, sexual references.

Running time: 2 hours, 2 minutes.

Playing: ArcLight Hollywood.