<P> The Stanford Prison Experiment is a 2015 American thriller film directed by Kyle Patrick Alvarez, written by Tim Talbott, and starring Billy Crudup, Michael Angarano, Ezra Miller, Tye Sheridan, Keir Gilchrist, Olivia Thirlby, and Nelsan Ellis . The plot concerns the 1971 Stanford prison experiment, conducted at Stanford University under the supervision of psychology professor Philip Zimbardo, in which students play the role of either a prisoner or prison guard . </P> <P> The project was announced in 2002 and remained in development for twelve years, with filming beginning on August 19, 2014, in Los Angeles . The film was financed and produced by Sandbar Pictures and Abandon Pictures, and premiered at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival on January 26, before beginning a limited theatrical release on July 17, 2015 . The film received positive reviews from critics, who commended the direction, screenplay, and acting . </P> <P> Stanford University psychology professor Philip Zimbardo conducts a psychological experiment to test the hypothesis that the personality traits of prisoners and guards are the chief cause of abusive behavior between them . In the experiment, Zimbardo selects fifteen male students to participate in a 14 - day prison simulation to take roles as prisoners or guards . They receive $15 per day . The experiment is conducted in a mock prison located in the basement of Jordan Hall, the university's psychology department building . The students who are guards become abusive, as does Zimbardo himself, as they immerse themselves in their assigned roles . Two students who play the role of prisoners quit the experiment early due to psychological meltdowns, and, only after being chastised and roughly brought back to reality by his girlfriend, Christina Maslach, Zimbardo abruptly stops the entire experiment after only six days . </P> <Ul> <Li> Billy Crudup as Dr. Philip Zimbardo </Li> <Li> Michael Angarano as Christopher Archer / "John Wayne" Guard </Li> <Li> Moisés Arias as Anthony Carroll </Li> <Li> Nicholas Braun as Karl Vandy </Li> <Li> Gaius Charles as Paul Vogel </Li> <Li> Keir Gilchrist as John Lovett </Li> <Li> Ki Hong Lee as Gavin Lee / Prisoner 3401 </Li> <Li> Thomas Mann as Prisoner 416 </Li> <Li> Ezra Miller as Daniel Culp / Prisoner 8612 </Li> <Li> Logan Miller as Jerry Sherman / Prisoner 5486 </Li> <Li> Tye Sheridan as Peter Mitchell / Prisoner 819 </Li> <Li> Johnny Simmons as Jeff Jansen / Prisoner 1037 </Li> <Li> James Wolk as Mike Penny </Li> <Li> Nelsan Ellis as Jesse Fletcher </Li> <Li> Olivia Thirlby as Dr. Christina Maslach </Li> <Li> Matt Bennett as Kyle Parker </Li> <Li> Jesse Carere as Paul Beattie / Prisoner 5704 </Li> <Li> Brett Davern as Hubbie Whitlow / Prisoner 7258 </Li> <Li> James Frecheville as Matthew Townshend </Li> <Li> Miles Heizer as Marshall Lovett </Li> <Li> Jack Kilmer as Jim Randall / Prisoner 4325 </Li> <Li> Callan McAuliffe as Henry Ward </Li> <Li> Benedict Samuel as Jacob Harding </Li> <Li> Chris Sheffield as Tom Thompson / Prisoner 2093 </Li> <Li> Kate Butler as Mrs. Mitchell </Li> <Li> Harrison Thomas as Andrew Ceros </Li> <Li> Albert Malafronte as Father MacAllister </Li> <Li> Danielle Lauder as Mary Ann </Li> </Ul>

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