The Experiment (2010) on Netflix

Plot summary

Men volunteer for a psychological study, answering questions about how they react to scenes of violence. Twenty-six are chosen and driven to an isolated prison where cameras watch them around the clock. Six become guards and twenty become prisoners, each known only by a number. Prisoners must eat three full meals a day, take thirty minutes of recreation, stay inside designated areas and speak to guards only when spoken to. Guards must answer any transgression within thirty minutes. The study ends at the first sign of violence or the first man who quits. Two weeks of obedience earns each volunteer $14,000. Travis, an anti-war protester, is prisoner 77, sharing a cell with Benjy, a graphic novelist, and Nix, who has served prison time before. Barris, a guard, tries to dissuade the others from aggressive behavior.