Posted: Mon Sep 17, 2007 12:26 pm
Synopsis :
Imagine some German screenwriters tried to dramatize the infamous 1971 Stanford Prison Experiment. In German, so the guards sound all the more threatening.
Review :
I heard about this flick a couple years ago, I think, from some review on a site somewhere. & since I'm always on the lookout for decent foreign films (since Hollywood puts out such ass nowadays), I decided to give this fucker a shot. While it wasn't a waste, it didn't blow me away, either.
As anyone can guess, the guards get a bit overzealous in enforcing their rules. There's certainly some Nazi undertones in here as well. The lead guard is blonde-haired, blue-eyed, & an absolute control freak who mercilessly abuses about his subordinates. The rest of the guards have a "just following orders" mentality for most of the film, being prodded on by their captain. Naturally, one of the prisoners thinks the guards are taking their jobs too seriously (after all, all the participants just need to last two weeks to get their paychecks) & spurs the prisoners into a show of solidarity. The kicker is that the guards have been ordered not to use physical violence as a punishment, so all sorts of "nonviolent" torture gets dreamed up.
Whereas its inspiration was the interaction of guards & prisoners, this film lets the motivations of the scientists (the head dude, in particular) on the guards come to life. Cos, after all, the researchers are paying the guards to act like this towards others.
Verdict : 6 of 10. An interesting twist on a very fucked up even in psych history. But it's hampered by predictability, a few logic gaps, & a moment or two that felt very forced. It does show effectively how order, even with the best intentions, can degrade to brutal chaos.
Imagine some German screenwriters tried to dramatize the infamous 1971 Stanford Prison Experiment. In German, so the guards sound all the more threatening.
Review :
I heard about this flick a couple years ago, I think, from some review on a site somewhere. & since I'm always on the lookout for decent foreign films (since Hollywood puts out such ass nowadays), I decided to give this fucker a shot. While it wasn't a waste, it didn't blow me away, either.
As anyone can guess, the guards get a bit overzealous in enforcing their rules. There's certainly some Nazi undertones in here as well. The lead guard is blonde-haired, blue-eyed, & an absolute control freak who mercilessly abuses about his subordinates. The rest of the guards have a "just following orders" mentality for most of the film, being prodded on by their captain. Naturally, one of the prisoners thinks the guards are taking their jobs too seriously (after all, all the participants just need to last two weeks to get their paychecks) & spurs the prisoners into a show of solidarity. The kicker is that the guards have been ordered not to use physical violence as a punishment, so all sorts of "nonviolent" torture gets dreamed up.
Whereas its inspiration was the interaction of guards & prisoners, this film lets the motivations of the scientists (the head dude, in particular) on the guards come to life. Cos, after all, the researchers are paying the guards to act like this towards others.
Verdict : 6 of 10. An interesting twist on a very fucked up even in psych history. But it's hampered by predictability, a few logic gaps, & a moment or two that felt very forced. It does show effectively how order, even with the best intentions, can degrade to brutal chaos.