MovieFreak.com - The Experiment DVD Review

A makeshift prison is set up in a research lab, complete with cells, bars and surveillance cameras. For two weeks 20 male participants are hired to play prisoners and guards. The 'prisoners' are locked up and have to follow seemingly mild rules, and the 'guards' are told simply to retain order without using physical violence. Everybody is free to quit at any time, thereby forfeiting payment. In the beginning the mood between both groups is insecure and rather emphatic. But soon quarrels arise and the wardens employ ever more drastic sanctions to confirm their authority.

The Experiment is tense, smart, and psychologically intoxicating. What a way to start off a review for a film like this. Basically, that sentence describes what the film is. There is some definitive tension present between the characters, but also in the film’s situations itself. That is, the progress of the experiment, which soon turns into something nobody expected.

Directed by Oliver Hierschbiegel, The Experiment documents and examines the struggle to hold and maintain power inside a controlled environment; a prison. The struggle is between the prisoners and the guards, but all is different in this prison, because it’s not real. Call it a game if you want, but the observation and recording of human behavior, based on stress sessions and other elements of psychoanalytic factors, is more likely to fit the profile of this film. The Experiment is based on the novel Black Box by Mario Giordano and written by Mario Giordano, Christoph Darnstädt, and Don Bohlinger. It stars Run Lola Run co-star Moritz Bleibtreu who plays Tarek Fahd, a taxi driver and a former reporter.

Besides Bleibtreu, The Experiment includes a wide range of characters and actors. All of the major speaking parts are filled by skilled actors who deliver their lines and actions with a certain precision. Some of the actors portraying the guards give off a kind of notorious personality, especially as the film passes the one-hour mark, the time when things begin to go out of control for everyone involved in the experiment. The connection between the prisoners is easily established, mainly because of their common bond as those who are behind bars. There is an instant unrest in the air as the first day of the experiment comes to a close. Each new day intensifies in stress and unrest, until it comes to the boiling point.

Thus, The Experiment succeeds in examining man’s psyche and actions when faced with making decisions (guards) or following instructions (prisoners). Accentuating the script and direction of the film is the techno-like, notorious-sounding score by Alexander Van Bubenheim, which brings more intensity to the situations of the story. Additionally, director of photography Rainer Klausmann creates a surreal and kind of fearful environment in the way he sets up some of the shots.

Overall, The Experiment increases in intensity as each day of the experiment passes, and director Oliver Hierschbiegel knows how to turn up the necessary elements to get keep the viewer involved and interested. More or less, this film is quite intoxicating and therefore comes very much recommended.

Columbia Tristar presents The Experiment in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen. The colors in the film are pretty good, from bright green to cold blue, and so forth. Color detail is accentuated nicely. I didn’t notice any major spots of grain or dirt, but a few minor specks exist. Dark tones and black level are fairly consistent during most of the film’s dark scenes. Overall, The Experiment looks real nice and offers a deserving, clear presentation for a visually-stimulating film.

Columbia Tristar presents The Experiment in German 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround Sound. There is some good noise present on this track. Almost all of the sound effects and music in the film are concentrated on all the speakers. Rear speakers come alive, but not on a very consistent basis. The noise that comes from the front is quite pulsating. For one, the sound effects, like the slamming shut of the metal doors, is very well accentuated. Add to that the heavy beat-like and haunting score by Alexander Van Bubenheim. Third, dialog scenes are clear and easy to understand. The Experiment sounds as good as it looks. Sehr gut.

You get the film’s Theatrical Trailer plus bonus trailers for Blind Spot: Hitler’s Secretary, Cowboy Bebop: The Movie and Run Lola Run. That is all. You can select to view the film with optional English subtitles. The DVD’s menus are not animated. The 119-minute feature is organized into twenty-eight chapters.

Here is a film that is psychologically intoxicating. Run Lola Run co-star Moritz Bleibtreu turns in a commanding performance, and the director creates a film that is definitely worth watching. Columbia Tristar presents pretty good video and audio presentations, but there are no extras to make this disc a recommended rental. But for the sake of the film, give The Experiment a good consideration when you browse through the shelves in your local video store.

THE MOVIE	8
THE VIDEO	8
THE AUDIO	9
THE EXTRAS	0
OVERALL (not an average)	6