Mouldy I remembered reading about Stanley Milgram's controversial 'shock experiments' a while ago so was interested in watching this movie when it appeared on my Amazon Prime account.Peter Sarsgaard's lazy portrayal of Milgram is both fascinating and annoying. Whilst he is successful in making you believe he was Milgram I felt there was something lacking in his performance of a man who was driven in everything he did in real life by the horrors of the Holocaust. Even when confronted by a team of professionals to justify his experiments Sarsgaard's laidback style dilutes what should have been a moment in the film when you get to the heart of Milgram and what drove him on to do the work that he did.Michael Almereyda's device of having Sarsgaard (as Milgram) constantly interrupting the flow of the film by talking to the audience is novel at first but mildly irritating towards the end.Winona Ryder holds up her own as Milgram's wife. However, her character pretty much remains in the background - other than when she is called out by one of Milgram's students who tries to imply that Milgram's experiments are more to do with control, and controlling those around him, than a genuine scientific interest in human nature. The story itself is a fascinating one, however, and whilst the main actors are a bit watery/laidback, I think it will leave you wondering about yourself, individually, and the fundamental nature of the human race.PS : If you enjoyed this film, I would also recommend Craig Zobel's 'Compliance'.

MarcoLara I saw thing movie before I ever watched it, because I am very familiar with the work of Dr. Stanley Milgram. The actors were well chosen and some of the dialogs during the experiments are basically verbatim to what happened in real life. So kudos on that regard.But then there is that part that I completely missed and the movie brought it to life, and is the struggle or Dr. Milgram to perform his experiments and defend them in a society were we prefer to believe that we are the heroes in our own movies playing in our heads and the heads of the ones we socialize with. Dr. Milgram opened a window into who we really are and how easily we are wiling to cancel our better judgement. This is where this movie shines and this is why this movie is worth watching. And, if you have never heard of Dr. Milgram, then you will really enjoy this movie for his incredibly interesting experiments.Unfortunately, this movie runs a bit longer that it needed be. As this is not an action movie and there is little romance in it, and specially if you are familiar with Dr. Milgram's experiments, you will feel that the movie is boring. I felt that at times, and I wished for the movie to be some 20 minutes shorter.Still, it is a great movie, both for people familiar and unfamiliar with Dr. Milgram and his experiments. Note of caution, though: You may find there something about yourself that you may not like.

leonblackwood Review: I really found this movie interesting and somewhat, intriguing. I didn't really see the point of the experiment when it first started but once Stanley Milgram (Peter Sarsgaard) started to explain exactly what he was trying to achieve, it did light a light bulb in my head. Its one of those films were there isn't an conclusion or a reason why people do what they do, which made the concept very debatable. Basically, in 1961, Stanley Milgram created a test were a person would ask another person various questions, and if they got them wrong, they would get an electric shock. The electric shock would increase every time the question was answered wrong, so the real test is; do you give them the electric shock if you know that you are causing the individual pain. If you ask anyone, they would say that wouldn't have given the electric shock but the statistics are quite shocking. I personally think that a lot of the people giving the shocks, felt that they had to go ahead with the treatment because they were getting paid but that just my personal opinion. The fact the the person in the other room was actually an actor and he wasn't receiving any shocks at all, makes the treatment very interesting and extremely deceptive. All the way through his life, Stanley Milgram was questioned about his tactics and outrageous results from the test, so he had to prove, numerous times, what he was trying to achieve. With that aside, the performances were great from Sarsgaard and his wife, Alexandra 'Sasha' Milgram, whose was played by Winona Ryder. I liked the way that Stanley was talking to the camera to explain certain matters and it's the first film were I have seen the director using the real black and white background to show how the real environment was. Anyway, I was thoroughly entertained throughout the movie but I personally think that the experiments should have taken place throughout the movie because the different people's reactions were what made the concept so great. Enjoyable!Round-Up: Although the cast seems quite big, most of the actors are only in a couple of the scenes during the test. It was  good to see the personal side of Stanley Milgram but you don't really get to know, what exactly is going on in his head. He seemed to glide through life in a world of his own but the director did show how important his wife and kids were in his life. Anyway, this movie was directed by Michael Almereyda, who brought you the awful Cymbeline (Anarchy: Ride or Die), Nadja, another version of Hamlet and Happy Here & Now. He hasn't got a great track record in the directing chair, which is why this movie didn't make any noise in Hollywood but it's still an interesting topic which was worth bringing to light. I recommend this movie to people who are into their biography/history/dramas starring John Palladino, Peter Sarsgaard. Winona Ryder. Anthony Edwards, Jim Gaffigan, John Leguizamo, Anton Yelchin and Harley Ware. 6/10

Tom Dooley Peter Sarsgaard ('Black Mass and 'The Killing')stars as Professor Stanley Milgram who conducted a range of experiments as a social psychologist. His most famous/notorious were his 'obedience tests'. He conducted these using volunteers who were told to electrocute a stranger if they answered any pre set question wrong in a controlled environment. The doses increased as the test progressed. His wife is played by the wonderful Winona Ryder.His results caused him both fame and derision and he is still used and cited widely today. The film follows the life of Milgram, his family and marriage and some of his personal acquaintances. Sarsgaard, as ever, is excellent and convincing but there are some filmatic techniques that were a bit odd. There is deliberate use of fake backgrounds - as if it were a play – in some of the scenes. There is also the use of an Indian elephant for two corridor scenes which is left totally unreferenced!?This could be the elephant in the room has already escaped and is amongst us? I do not know but it is a great centre piece to get you thinking. And that is what this film is really about – challenging and questioning our ideas and ideals about who we are and how we would act if confronted with the self same situations. He called it the 'agentic state' whereby we say 'we were just following orders', or 'it's the law' or worse 'I was told to do it'. I find this sort of discussion fascinating and there is much more here in this film about Milgram's work. One I really enjoyed and feel easy to recommend even with the elephant.