In 1971, a Stanford professor conducted an experiment in which he locked 24 students in a building, splitting them into guards and prisoners. The shocking results have become a staple in even the most beginner-level psychology class, and are the subject of the straightforwardly titled drama The Stanford Prison Experiment.

Directed by Kyle Patrick Alvarez and written by Tim Talbott, The Stanford Prison Experiment is a well made, well executed drama that features strong performances and highlights some fucked-up real-life stuff, but also one that doesn’t bring a whole lot new to the table.

Billy Crudup stars as Professor Philip Zombardo, while Michal Angarano, Tye Sheridan and Ezra Miller lead an ensemble cast of students. The movie, and the actors, do a good job of portraying the psychological effects of the experiment—which sought to analyze how otherwise normal people act under situational influences. Miller is especially strong.

For those who don’t know much about the experiment, you may find the movie quite fascinating. The experiment truly is quite staggering and disturbing, and Alvarez doesn’t hold back showing what happened. But he also takes a very measured approach to how everything is shown; there aren’t a lot of dramatic beats and as a result, after a while, the movie’s hold on you begins to weaken.

If you’re more familiar with the experiment, the movie won’t tell you anything new—and as a result, it’s hard to be spellbound by what you see on screen, even with the solid screenplay and performances.

The Stanford Prison Experiment is one of those movies that has plenty of good things going for it, but still doesn’t quite attain the level of intensity it needed to truly succeed.

Review by Erik Samdahl.