Das Experiment (The Experiment) (2001)

72% of critics liked it
(64 reviews)
87% of users liked it
(21,231 ratings)

A man taking part in a scientific study finds the fine line between play-acting and reality has been blurred beyond recognition in this taut drama. Tarek Fahd (Moritz Bleibtreu) is a journalist who is temporarily making ends meet by driving a taxi when he sees an advertisement offering 4,000 marks… More A man taking part in a scientific study finds the fine line between play-acting and reality has been blurred beyond recognition in this taut drama. Tarek Fahd (Moritz Bleibtreu) is a journalist who is temporarily making ends meet by driving a taxi when he sees an advertisement offering 4,000 marks to people willing to submit to a psychological experiment. Intrigued, Tarek offers to take part in the study and persuades one of his former editors to help him work up a story about his experiences. Recording the events using a special high-tech video camera hidden in his glasses, Tarek arrives for the two-week experiment to discover half of the volunteers will pose as prison guards and the other half will be their prisoners. Before long the behavior of the subjects suggests more than just make-believe; "inmate" Tarek, in particular, is unwilling to take abuse from the "guards" and makes no secret of his contempt, while Berus (Justus VonDohnanyi) begins playing a dangerous game of cat-and-mouse with Tarek. Tarek, meanwhile, begins escaping reality by fantasizing about Dora (Maren Eggert), a woman with whom he had a brief fling before taking part in the experiment. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Play Trailer

Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 56 min.
Directed By: Oliver Hirschbiegel
Written By: Christoph Darnstadt, Don Bohlinger
Genres: Drama, Art House & International, Mystery & Suspense

In Theaters: Jan 1, 2001 Wide
On DVD: Jul 1, 2003
Studio: Samuel Goldwyn Films

Critic Reviews

Susan Walker, Toronto Star
The movie's central premise -- is well supported in a film whose strength is in its close-ups on characters and its ability to put the viewer in the cell with them.
Ray Conlogue, Globe and Mail
Probably it's more action film than anything else, but has enough insight to be of interest to serious filmgoers.
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
What impressed me is how effective the movie was, even though the outcome is a foregone conclusion.
Loren King, Chicago Tribune
An R-rated version of Survivor, Big Brother or any number of reality-TV shows that present voyeurism as entertainment and exploitation as insight.
Terry Lawson, Detroit Free Press
Das Experiment may make an obvious point, but it's still a relevant one.
, Washington Post
In the end, it looks as if this experiment proves only one thing: People forced to play guards and prisoners tend to end up imitating bad prison movies.
Johnny Butane, Dread Central
Go in expecting whatever you want, chances are you're going to get something that much better.
Louis-Jérôme Cloutier, Panorama
The Experiment est un bon film, mais je comprends mal qu'il ait pu gagner des prix.
Pablo Villaca, Cinema em Cena
Certamente provocaria mais impacto caso o roteiro tivesse abandonado subtramas dispensáveis como a "namorada que perdeu o pai" e se concentrado mais na fascinante experiência.
Jurgen Fauth, About.com
Works as action drama, psychological thriller, and cautionary tale.
Walter Chaw, Film Freak Central
When a picture about the roots of evil takes the easy way out, the price is potentially more grave than just the failure of a film: it starts to smell a little like exploitation, after all.
Mark Robison, Reno Gazette-Journal
"The Experiment" keeps your adrenaline pumping nearly from beginning to end.
Scott Weinberg, eFilmCritic.com
...takes its time with what it has to say, but very little of it is uninteresting - and the whole thing is capped off by a third act that will have you squirming in your seat.

Read all 13 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Cindy I

20 men volunteer to participate in a lab experiment in a simulated prison. At first the men have a good time with it, but then things go downhill when some of the men take the experiment more seriously than others. The film is based on a true experiment, and the results are pretty… More
20 men volunteer to participate in a lab experiment in a simulated prison. At first the men have a good time with it, but then things go downhill when some of the men take the experiment more seriously than others. The film is based on a true experiment, and the results are pretty much what you expect, if you're familiar with either the original experiment or LORD OF THE FLIES. Pretty grim at times, and not a feel-good film by any means. But the performances are good, and the film is involving and intense. Fans of films such as TAXI DRIVER would find things to like here.
Randy T

Das Experiment is a theatrical "what if" inspired by the infamous Stanford Prison Experiment (1971) and Mario Giordano's subsequent novel. The script is gritty enough but there are more than a few holes and lapses of logic. Still, the overall aura… More
Das Experiment is a theatrical "what if" inspired by the infamous Stanford Prison Experiment (1971) and Mario Giordano's subsequent novel. The script is gritty enough but there are more than a few holes and lapses of logic. Still, the overall aura of the film is gripping and intense. I'm sure an inferior Hollywood remake is already in the works (see also: RIngu, Old Boy, Let the Right One In, etc., etc., etc.)
Lady D

Based on a real life psychological experiment, the simulated prison environment is like a ticking timebomb, waiting to see the power struggle between Guards and Prisoners unleash into violence and humiliation. A good film, well acted, but possibly not quite as good as a lot of… More
Based on a real life psychological experiment, the simulated prison environment is like a ticking timebomb, waiting to see the power struggle between Guards and Prisoners unleash into violence and humiliation. A good film, well acted, but possibly not quite as good as a lot of reviews have led me to believe, I think, because the ending tends to go on for a little too long.
familiar s

The Experiment failed to yield any favorable reports for me. If you wish, experiment it on yourself; though IMO, it should be aborted.
Tsubaki S

The line between reality and role playing gets blurred in this creepy study of human behaviour. Only thing that keeps this from getting more stars is the pointless repetition of "what is the girlfriend doing?" scenes, which really didn't add a lot, with the exception of… More
The line between reality and role playing gets blurred in this creepy study of human behaviour. Only thing that keeps this from getting more stars is the pointless repetition of "what is the girlfriend doing?" scenes, which really didn't add a lot, with the exception of some bits of info about the main character. Great performance by Moritz Bleibtreu, very solid leading man i must say. A shame that the director has also bitten the hollywood chain of doing useless remakes. I guess he's the one swimming in a pool full of naked women right now, while i'm here writting this review :X
Tim B

The picture here makes this movie look pretty silly. The guy looks like the older brother, from Everybody Loves Raymond. He doesn't look very happy about this so called "experiment" at all. I saw this movie, and it's actually really good, in a serious way, not… More
The picture here makes this movie look pretty silly. The guy looks like the older brother, from Everybody Loves Raymond. He doesn't look very happy about this so called "experiment" at all. I saw this movie, and it's actually really good, in a serious way, not in a silly way.
Luke B

A brilliant look at the abuse of power, and mans violent nature. The cases are looked at from all sides, but the director seems a little eager for us to pass judgement and really shock us. The end turns into average Hollywood action and slightly OTT. However it makes its point and… More
A brilliant look at the abuse of power, and mans violent nature. The cases are looked at from all sides, but the director seems a little eager for us to pass judgement and really shock us. The end turns into average Hollywood action and slightly OTT. However it makes its point and isn't easily forgotten.
Alex M

This is the perfect archetype of a movie that starts out tame and gets more and more disturbing as it progresses. I've really never seen another movie that did such a good job of showing people descend into pure madness at a pace that makes sense. It was realistic, which made it… More
This is the perfect archetype of a movie that starts out tame and gets more and more disturbing as it progresses. I've really never seen another movie that did such a good job of showing people descend into pure madness at a pace that makes sense. It was realistic, which made it truly frightening. The main character is also really likable, which helped to turn my stomach when things got bad.
John M

The plot is fairly simple with some weak points but overall I think they did a very good job writing the screenplay. The story flows naturally and never feels like a screenplay and even though the movie is quite predictable, one is very excited through the entire film and a special… More
The plot is fairly simple with some weak points but overall I think they did a very good job writing the screenplay. The story flows naturally and never feels like a screenplay and even though the movie is quite predictable, one is very excited through the entire film and a special atmosphere is created in the beginning of the film, and you know something terrible is going to happen. The movie has fine acting from the leads and they did well reflecting the claustrophobic feeling. This German film is a great piece of psychological horror.
Henrik S

As a social experiment goes wrong, questions are raised about human nature and how far they will go if they only get the chance. Das Experiment is refreshingly un-American, although I am not the biggest fan of German direction (trip hop OST and fast editing, think Run Lola Run). Yet,… More
As a social experiment goes wrong, questions are raised about human nature and how far they will go if they only get the chance. Das Experiment is refreshingly un-American, although I am not the biggest fan of German direction (trip hop OST and fast editing, think Run Lola Run). Yet, the cast is a very good ensemble, and I think that most of the secondary actors shine out the lead by far, which can often be the case if the screenwriter uses the main char only as axis of the other characters. The film is not gory or very brutal but contains some defty scenes of humiliation and general human atrocity. The romantic sub-plot as well as the reason why the experiment is able to continue despite it going out of hand feels a bit forced and slighlty takes off some of the believability of the movie. It is based on a true story, although it takes the truth to quiet another level in the fictionalization. All in all, very recommended ! Henrik
Stefan P

Interesting and intiguing (prison movies often are), but with a pretty bad implemented side story.
Marcus W

One of the best films I've seen for a long time. Watching the sudden power or sudden lack of power corrupt ordinary human beings and reveal their true natures was fascinating. As the situation began to escalate, absolute power, corrupted absolutely and the film became both scary… More
One of the best films I've seen for a long time. Watching the sudden power or sudden lack of power corrupt ordinary human beings and reveal their true natures was fascinating. As the situation began to escalate, absolute power, corrupted absolutely and the film became both scary and riveting. A definite must-see, particularly for anyone with an interest in human psychology.
Wu C

Pretty cool concept.
Ina S

Great German film, very intense, good psychological thriller.