Back to trending
The Stanford Prison Experiment

The Stanford Prison Experiment

Thriller · Drama · History · 2015

In 1971, Stanford's Professor Philip Zimbardo conducts a controversial psychology experiment in which college students pretend to be either prisoners or guards, but the proceedings soon get out of hand. Based on a true story.

Movie details

The Stanford Prison Experiment

“They were given 2 weeks. It lasted 6 days.”

2015 Thriller · Drama · History 2h 2m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

6.8 / 10

Community rating

In 1971, Stanford's Professor Philip Zimbardo conducts a controversial psychology experiment in which college students pretend to be either prisoners or guards, but the proceedings soon get out of hand. Based on a true story.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over The Stanford Prison Experiment?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

A Mighty Heart

A Mighty Heart

Drama · 2007

Based on Mariane Pearl's account of the terrifying and unforgettable story of her husband, Wall Street Journal reporter Danny Pearl's life and death.

The Nightingale

The Nightingale

Drama · 2018

In 1825, Clare, a 21-year-old Irish convict, chases a British soldier through the rugged Tasmanian wilderness, bent on revenge for a terrible act of violence he committed against her family. She enlists the services of an Aboriginal tracker who is also marked by trauma from his own violence-filled past.

Escape from Sobibor

Escape from Sobibor

Drama · 1987

The true story of WWII's notorious Sobibor Nazi death camp, where a courageous inmate orchestrates and leads the escape of over 300 prisoners.

Salvador

Salvador

Drama · 1986

In 1980, an American journalist covering the Salvadoran Civil War becomes entangled with both the leftist guerrilla groups and the right-wing military dictatorship while trying to rescue his girlfriend and her children.

Triumph of the Spirit

Triumph of the Spirit

Drama · 1989

During World War II, Salamo Arouch, a passionate boxer, is arrested and sent to a concentration camp. Soon, he is forced to box against his fellow prisoners for the sake of entertainment.

Dead Man's Shoes

Dead Man's Shoes

Drama · 2004

A soldier returns to his small town and exacts a deadly revenge on the thugs who tormented his disabled brother while he was away.

Lost Highway

Lost Highway

Drama · 1997

A tormented jazz musician finds himself lost in an enigmatic story involving murder, surveillance, gangsters, doppelgängers, and an impossible transformation inside a prison cell.

Chopper

Chopper

Crime · 2000

The true and infamous story of Australia's notorious criminal Mark 'Chopper' Read and his years of crime, interest in violence, drugs and prostitutes.

The Killing of Kenneth Chamberlain

The Killing of Kenneth Chamberlain

Mystery · 2021

Based on the true story of the events that led to the death of Kenneth Chamberlain Sr., an elderly African American veteran with bipolar disorder, who was killed during a conflict with police officers who were dispatched to check on him.

Storm Warning

Storm Warning

Drama · 1951

A fashion model witnesses the brutal assassination of an investigative journalist by the Ku Klux Klan while traveling to a small town to visit her sister.

Where it lives

Watch in your region.

Cinema release signals and current streaming, rental, and purchase options for your region.

Streaming availability data supplied by JustWatch.

Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Kyle Patrick Alvarez

Written by

Tim Talbott

Billy Crudup

Billy Crudup

Dr. Philip Zimbardo

Michael Angarano

Michael Angarano

Christopher Archer

Ezra Miller

Ezra Miller

Daniel Culp / Prisoner 8612

Tye Sheridan

Tye Sheridan

Peter Mitchell / Prisoner 819

Olivia Thirlby

Olivia Thirlby

Dr. Christina Maslach

Nelsan Ellis

Nelsan Ellis

Jesse Fletcher

Moisés Arias

Moisés Arias

Anthony Carroll

Court is in session

Put The Stanford Prison Experiment on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Prestige Tourist

“Ambition earns the room.”

The film reaches for consequence and scale, accepting the risk of seriousness instead of shrinking from it.

The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist

“Importance has entered the chat.”

The production keeps announcing its significance, as though awards-season posture were proof of insight.