The Experiment

This movie is a remake of a movie (The Experiment (2001)) based on a book that was inspired by the real-life Stanford prison experiment. Although the experiment's purpose is not explicitly mentioned in the film, the original study was meant to observe the effects of power, rules, group identity and dehumanization in a simulated prison environment. The Stanford prison experiment also employed test subjects as either guards of prisoners, but ended early as both groups took their respective roles too seriously. The experiment will never be redone, because although it was deemed ethical at the time under the later-amended rules of the American Psychiatric Association, any research done must not physically or mentally harm the participants.

In the scene near the end, where Travis is beating up Barris, Travis had recently grabbed the blade of the knife when Barris tried to stab him. His hand was shown to be very bloody. However, when the red light and the alarm went on and Travis raised his hands to his head, his hand was completely clean and unharmed.